91 Unionists Killed in 2008, 49 in Colombia Alone
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A total of 91 union members were killed worldwide last year, the same number as in 2007. But more than half (49) were killed in Colombia alone, 10 more than last year, making it once again the most dangerous country for trade unionists, according to the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC’s) “Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights.”
The Colombian government has not vigorously investigated or prosecuted the killing of trade union members. At the current pace of investigations and trials, it would take 37 years to prosecute the backlog of cases. And the caseload is growing—the rate of killings, which had fallen for a few years, jumped sharply last year by 25 percent, says José Luciano Sanin, director of Escuela Nacional Sindical (National Union School), a leading Colombian think tank.
Zimbabwe Continues Arrests, Assaults Against Union Members
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Earlier this week, Zimbabwe police arrested more than 70 members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), including Secretary General Wellington Chibebe.
According to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the ZCTU organized peaceful marches to protest against the financial crisis in Zimbabwe by delivering petitions to banks. Chibebe and ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo succeeded in handing the ZCTU petition to the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Chibebe was arrested, with nine other people, while he was addressing workers just after the delivery. Arrests and assaults were reported in the cities of Harare, Gweru, Zvishavane and Bulawayo as trade unionists delivered petitions to banks across the country.
The ZCTU announced late yesterday that 18 protestors, including Chibebe, had been released without charges.
