11 June, 2009ITUC Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations reports on worsening situation for workers.
GLOBAL: The global financial crisis is not only threatening job security and incomes, but also workers' rights. As documented in this year's International Trade Union Confederation's (ITUC) Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations, the global trade union rights situation is worsening.
According to the report, 76 trade unionists were killed due to their actions to defend workers' rights, and many more were attacked physically or subjected to harassment, intimidation or arrest by the authorities. While the worldwide total of killings fell from 91 the previous year, the number of killings in Colombia, which is notorious as the most dangerous place on earth for trade unionists, reached 49 - an increase of 10 over the previous year.
Countries where widespread and grave anti-union practices have unfortunately continued include: Colombia, Burma, Belarus, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Iran, Pakistan and the Philippines. The ITUC believes that countries such as Honduras and Guatemala should this year be added to this list.
The Survey also reports that new forms of employment relationships are affecting fundamental rights. The use of bogus self-employment as well as subcontractors or labour agencies is increasing in industrialised and developing countries. The report documents cases in Korea, Croatia, Poland, Montenegro, Georgia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Peru, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Africa, Chad and Morocco, among others.
Trade union rights are universally-recognised human rights at work. Two key International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions which define and guarantee them (conventions 87 and 98) have been ratified by 149 and 159 Member States of the ILO, respectively, out of a total of 182 worldwide.
The complete report can be viewed in English, German, Spanish and French at: http://survey09.ituc-csi.org/