The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is less than a year old as we go to press. This is the first Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights to be published by our new organisation. The Survey itself is well established of course, and the format it follows remains the same. Sadly, the story it tells is also very similar, and depicts the enormity of the challenges before us.
The 2007 edition of the Survey, covering 138 countries, shows an alarming rise in the number of people killed as a result of their trade union activities, from 115 in 2005 to 144 in 2006.
Colombia is still the deadliest country in the world for trade unionists. Yet instead of using its resources to tackle the real problem, the Uribe government is spending millions of dollars on a massive public relations campaign, sending top officials abroad to tell the world that the situation is Colombia is improving. They are lying. In 2006, 78 trade unionists were assassinated, eight more than in 2005, while many others faced threats, abduction or “disappearance”. Colombia is one of the biggest challenges to be faced by our new trade union international, and we are gearing up for this by preparing a major ITUC plan of action.
