Brussels, 20 November 2008: In a letter to President Colom and the Guatemalan authorities, the ITUC has called for adequate measures to be taken to protect the members of the delegation representing the Guatemalan trade union, indigenous and campesino movement who are returning to their country today following a mission to various EU member states.
The ITUC, supported by its affiliates, organised a mission of representatives from Guatemala’s trade union, indigenous and campesino movement to several European cities (Brussels, London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Copenhagen and Amsterdam) as well as to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, from Monday 3 to Thursday 20 November. The mission was a follow up to the ITUC conference in Guatemala on the role of trade union organisations in the fight against impunity, which was inaugurated by President Colom.
The aim of the mission was to draw attention to the situation in Guatemala and to solicit the support and cooperation of national governments, international institutions, European institutions (the European Parliament and Commission) and human rights NGOs, to assist in the efforts to strengthen and consolidate the rule of law, to bring an end to impunity, to establish a tripartite social dialogue that produces concrete results, and to ensure that employers and the government respect the ILO Core Conventions together with Convention 169 on indigenous and tribal peoples.
In its letter to the Guatemalan authorities (ES), the ITUC also expressed its consternation at the alarming number of workers murdered, threatened or dismissed on account of their trade union activities, insisting on the need to fully investigate these crimes and to bring those responsible to justice.
The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates.
For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018
