INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS (ICFTU)
ICFTU Online
From: "Luc Demaret" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
187/000912/LD
EMBARGO: DO NOT PUBLISH BEFORE SEPTEMBER 13, 2000
Global labour report denounces repression
Thousands of people targeted for trade union activities world-wide
Brussels, September 13 2000 (ICFTU OnLine): At least 140 trade unionists
were assassinated, disappeared, or committed suicide after they were
threatened, because they had the temerity to stand up for workers' rights
against the state or unscrupulous employers, according to an annual survey
published today (September 13) by the Brussels-based International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). The Survey details violations
of trade union rights in 113 countries during the period from January 1,
1999 to December 31, 1999. It says that nearly 3000 people were arrested,
more then 1,500 were injured, beaten or tortured and at least 5,800 were
harassed because of their legitimate trade union activities. Another 700
trade unionists received death threats.
"This year's report gives an opportunity to denounce the prevailing
hypocrisy which sees government officials parading at international
gatherings, ostensibly promoting basic workers' rights, while those who
actually defend those fundamental rights at home are being harassed,
attacked, threatened, sidelined or silenced - sometimes for ever," said
Bill Jordan, general secretary of the ICFTU while presenting this year's
findings.
Abuses compiled in the survey range from murder to subtle legislative
arrangements that make trade union activities increasingly looking like a
daunting obstacle race.
Some 12,000 workers were unfairly dismissed or refused reinstatement,
sometimes with the complicity of the government, because they were active
members of a trade union. At least 140 strikes or demonstrations were
repressed by governments, sometimes with the support of the employers using
strike breakers, while 80 of the 113 countries mentioned in the survey
restrict the right to strike altogether.
"Ruthless repression in Latin America, attacks and interference in Asia,
arrests and imprisonment in Africa, severe restrictions and non-payment of
wage in Eastern Europe and a growing trend to "union busting" activities in
industrialised countries" are key findings of this year's findings,
according to Bill Jordan. The ICFTU's annual report forms part of its
campaign to promote a link between respect for core labour standards and
international trade arrangements. The survey reports on violations of two
of the most ratified Conventions of the UN's International Labour
Organisation (ILO): Conventions 87 on Freedom of Association ratified by
130 countries and Convention 98 on the right to organise and collective
bargaining ratifies by 145 countries.
The ICFTU is the world's largest international trade union organisations
with affiliated national centres in 145 countries representing more than
123 million workers world-wide.
The Americas
The Latin American continent remains the most dangerous place in the world
for trade unionists. 90 trade unionists lost their lives, twice as many as
any other continent, and about 70% of those arrested world-wide for
carrying out trade union activities were from Latin America.
Forming a trade union within an enterprise is virtually impossible in many
Latin American countries. Workers' rights are ignored in the export
processing zones (in particular in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Mexico and Honduras) and strikes are severely repressed: 726 trade
unionists were injured or beaten for trying to enforce their rights. Those
defending the workers' cause are constantly harassed by the authorities and
employers. In at least two Export processing zones, renowned multinationals
were described as resorting to pregnancy tests before recruiting workers.
In Colombia, 76 trade unionists were assassinated or reported missing.
These included 23 trade union leaders, 52 grass roots union activists, and
a union bodyguard. There were 676 death threats, 13 attempted
assassinations, 22 kidnaps, 28 forced exiles. The authorities used
unnecessary force to end strikes, 149 people were injured and 418 arrested.
In Argentina, mass demonstrations in several provinces to demand the
payment of wages were brutally repressed by the police, leaving five dead
and 25 injured.
The situation for trade unionists in Guatemala remained very dangerous.
Three of them were assassinated and there were at least 20 death threats
against trade union leaders. Violence was particularly bad against workers
in the banana plantations, where transitional corporations tried to destroy
the trade unions.
In Costa Rica, banana workers trying to form unions risk the sack, and are
put on black lists. The suppression of labour unions enables employers to
ignore safety regulations. Sometimes with dramatic results. The use of,
otherwise forbidden, pesticides h as led to the death of workers. Cases of
sterility and of women delivering deformed babies were also reported.
In the United States, freedom of association and the right to strike are
severely restricted. At least one in 10 union supporters campaigning to
form a union is illegally fired. The instances of extreme exploitation have
increased in particular of foreign workers recruited through private
employment agencies. About 40% of public service employees are refused the
right to strike and to bargain collectively. Workers regularly face
harassment.
Africa
Trade union repression is rife in Africa. In this continent nearly four
out of five arrests world-wide took place in Africa. 80% of the world
total of those given prison sentences for their trade union activities were
in Africa. Strikes and demonstrations were also harshly repressed. The
legislation of 23 of the 31 African countries covered contains restrictive
measures on the right to strike. Trade unionists are frequently harassed in
Africa. The survey lists 834 cases, in nearly two thirds of African
countries, a higher average than any other continent.
An overriding feature in Africa is government interference in trade unions
internal affairs. In Libya, Sudan, and in Equatorial Guinea the ban on
independent trade unions remained. In the Central African Republic, the
government continued to target the USTC and its leader, Thophile
Sonny-Cole, was beaten up and prevented from attending international
conferences.
In Ethiopia, two leaders of the teachers' union ETA died in prison because
of poor conditions, while another received a 15-year prison sentence, as
part of continual harassment of the ETA. The national union centre the CETU
remained under government control. The authorities in Djibouti imposed
their own candidates at the top of the UGTD and the UDT, and froze their
assets, claiming that the genuine organisations were illegal.
In Morocco, 23 trade unionists were sent prison after striking over labour
law violations, 21 of whom had been tortured by police in detention.
In Swaziland, trade unions continued to be repressed, and the SFTU and its
leaders were regularly harassed. The police detained the entire national
executive committee of the Swazi Teachers Union, accusing them of
"un-Swazi" behaviour because they had carried a coffin during a march.
Zimbabwe was another country where respect for trade union rights
deteriorated dramatically, and three leaders of the ZCTU were attacked
following a strike. Strikes were declared illegal, and those taking party
severely harassed.
Asia and the Pacific
At least 37 trade unionists lost their lives during strikes and many others
were wounded in 1999. All the countries in the survey have legislation
limiting the fundamental right to organise. In some countries such as
Bangladesh and Pakistan workers have no trade union rights in the export
processing zones, while in other countries such as Thailand, Fiji, India
and Sri Lanka trade unions are not allowed in practice. Strikes and
demonstrations are fiercely repressed. 19 of the 25 countries in the region
have anti-strike legislation. In 40% of countries, trade unionists were
beaten or injured as a result of their trade union activities. The
authorities frequently intervened in trade union affairs, as according to
the survey, nearly half of all cases of interference took place in Asia.
In North Korea and Burma, the authorities have banned the formation of
independent trade unions..
China represses any attempt to form independent trade unions. Many trade
unionists remained behind bars or were sent to prison without trial. At
least 164 independent labour activists were sent to "rehabilitation through
labour" camps. Hundreds of Chine se workers were injured during clashes
with the police as they were protesting against the closures of factory
which have resulted in millions of people losing their jobs.
In Indonesia, although the trade union situation has improved the fall of
President Suharto, the police and military still brutally intervene in most
strikes.
In South Korea, 230 people were arrested, more than 150 were injured and
over 650 were harassed in anti-union repression.
The recent history of Australian trade unionism has been one of continual
assaults on trade unions at national and state level through the
introduction of repressive legislation to deprive unions of their rights.
There was no improvement in Pakistan's poor trade union rights record, and
in 1999 the government added to the already severe restrictions. A wide
range of workers cannot belong to unions, and in the country's export
processing zones workers cannot form unions, bargain or go on strike.
In Turkey the police have a record of continually repressing demonstrations.
Middle East
Trade unions are virtually non-existent in the Middle East, according to
the ICFTU's trade union rights' survey. In all the cases examined by the
ICFTU, legal barriers prevent workers from organising or from holding
strikes. In Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab
Emirates, foreign workers, who make up at least two thirds of the labour
force have virtually no rights and are not covered by any of the existing
collective agreements. The situation is slightly better in Kuwait, where
workers who have been in the country for five years are allowed to join unions.
In Israel, the government used the law to ban strikes in the public sector,
and Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip who work in Israel
cannot join Israeli trade unions nor can they organise their own unions in
Israel.
Europe
Seven people in Europe lost their lives owing to their trade union
activities, while another two committed suicide to draw the authorities'
attention to the conditions they faced. In one quarter of the countries
examined, trade unionists were injured or beaten. In nearly half of Eastern
Europe, the government interfered in the trade unions' internal affairs.
This interference amounted to about one third of the world total.
In Belarus, President Lukashenko has established total state control over
trade unions, making it impossible to start independent trade unions, or
for unions to carry out legitimate activities. Trade unionists have been
arrested for taking part in demonstrations or threatened with the sack if
they do not leave the union.
In Russia, four trade unionists were assassinated. Throughout the year the
authorities refused to listen to the strikers' demands, often over the non-
payment of wages.
In Malta, the entire leadership of the General Workers Union as well as
striking workers were charged with criminal offences, during the six-month
industrial dispute, and 80 trade unionists were injured and 41 arrested.
Restrictions on trade union rights persisted in Western Europe. In the
United Kingdom companies used anti-union legislation still on the statute
books to interfere in union affairs. 300 strikers were fired during a
dispute with Lufthansa sky chefs, the world's largest catering company.
Belgium is mentioned for court decisions which undermine the right to
strike, and Germany and Switzerland ban the right to strike for certain
categories of civil servant.
For more information, please contact the ICFTU Press Department on +32 2
224 0202 or +32 476 62 10 18.
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