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12 September, 2000Last year, thousands of people worldwide were targeted for their trade union activities.
BRUSSELS: 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
by the 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 3,000 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.
Abuses compiled in the survey range from murder to subtle legislative arrangements, which make trade union activities look increasingly 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 strikebreakers, while 80 of the 113 countries mentioned in the survey restrict the right to strike altogether.
Click on the associated link to get details of the report.
Source: ICFTU OnLine
Abuses compiled in the survey range from murder to subtle legislative arrangements, which make trade union activities look increasingly 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 strikebreakers, while 80 of the 113 countries mentioned in the survey restrict the right to strike altogether.
Click on the associated link to get details of the report.
Source: ICFTU OnLine