Global Policy Forum

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 transnational 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 has 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, Théophile 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 in the zones. 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 Chinese 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.

See the Survey Page - with access to individual country reports.

The Survey in PDF. NOTE: You need Adobe Acrobat to view this document.

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