Unionists Killed, Jailed for Defending Workers’ Rights

by Donna Jablonski, Jun 8, 2006

The fight for workers’ rights can be deadly. 

Last year, 115 trade unionists worldwide were murdered for defending workers’ rights. More than 1,600 were violently assaulted, and about 9,000 were arrested, according to the Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations released yesterday by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).

Nearly 10,000 workers were fired because of union activity in 2005, and almost 1,700 were detained.

The ICFTU, which represents 155 million workers in 154 countries and territories, says Latin America remains the most dangerous region for trade unionists. Colombia, where 70 unionists were killed last year, leads the world infamously in murders, intimidation and death threats.

But Bush administration attacks on workers’ freedom to form unions here in the United States also warranted shameful notice from the ICFTU:

The Bush administration continued its efforts to undermine freedom of association and collective bargaining in the USA, helping to ensure that union-busting remained rife.

Other countries cited for violence and repression against union workers and leaders include Iraq, Iran, El Salvador, Djibouti, China, Cambodia, Guatemala, Zimbabwe and Burma. As the military thugs running Burma tightened control in that country, 10 underground organizers for the banned Federation of Trade Unions of Burma were handed prison sentences of up to 25 years.

Anti-union activity, often aided by the government, was rampant in export-processing zones in several Asian countries, notably Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. 

ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder says this year’s survey: 

…reveals deeply disturbing trends, especially for women, migrant workers and those who work in the public sector. The death toll was slightly lower in 2005 than the previous year, but we are nevertheless witnessing increasingly severe violence and hostility against working people who stand up for their rights.

Read a summary or the full report about the dangers in the global fight for workers’ rights.

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