ITUC-CSI-IGB - Violence - News

Who is actually brave in Colombia

2013-05-01T14:30:00Z

Right after meeting Pope Francis on 13 May, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was quick to grab the photo opportunity and promote one of his preferred public relations slogans:

“We spoke about peace. About the need to be victorious in the pursuit of peace. The Holy Father told me 'Only the brave insist that these type of goals be accomplished”, said Santos.

A few weeks earlier however, very far from the spotlights in the Vatican, his administration was seriously challenged on its commitments to curb the violence against trade union leaders.

During April 2013, 92 organisations and social and political leaders received threats, where they were stigmatised and deemed as “a permanent military target and enemies” for “attacking senior government's good and noble intentions to promote peace”.

Worse still, over 280 trade unionists received death threats and 20 were killed in Colombia during 2012. Four trade unionists have already been assassinated in the first three months of 2013.

Two years ago, the president also stood in front of the cameras to sign the U.S.-Colombia Labor Action Plan (LAP), which sought to solve labour rights violations in advance of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Washington.

Although the FTA and the publicity machine were very efficient to attract more foreign investments than ever before, Colombian trade unions confirm that workers' rights violations and anti-union violence have continued unabated.

But In a true display of courage, workers are fighting back. New sectors are now being organised – such as in retail and telecommunications – and a historic collective agreement was reached in the Cerrejon, the world's largest open pit coal mining operation, benefiting 13,000 workers.

Now, as President Santos starts his campaign for re-election, the question is if he will be brave enough to stand up for workers´ rights, guarantee the safety of unionists and turn into really all his good words about peace.

Picture: Nidia Quintero of Colombian Agricultural Workers' Union FENSUAGRO is pictured with former ICFTU General Secretary Bill Jordan at a UK Parliament House event organised by John Monks, former General Secretary of the ETUC.

Sharan Burrow statement from Istanbul

2013-05-01T11:04:07Z

I came to Istanbul to take part in the biggest May Day rally in Europe, to join the celebration and to support the determination of Turkish unions to fight for legislative implementation of labour rights.

Workers planned to gather in Taksim Square, the ceremonial site of the struggle since 1977, a place people celebrate and remember the people who were shot and killed in this very square in 1977 as they celebrated May Day.

But this year the Turkish Government showed that democracy is not genuine as they were determined to blockade workers from gathering in Taksim Square.

Thousands of riot police, army and special forces lined the streets. Tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons have been used to break up groups as small as 3 or 4 people.

Jammers are being used to block mobile phones so people cannot use twitter or text to arrange meeting places.

Two of our union headquarters are under siege with injured workers inside.

This is democracy under threat.

The legacy of today oppression will be long lasting in the hearts and minds of workers. The Turkish Government has been shamed in the eyes of the world. This brutal crackdown by the government to stop our brothers and sisters celebrating May Day has unmasked the truth face of the Turkish Government.

There is no place for this behaviour from a country which will be taking on the leadership of the G20 in 2015.

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For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 02 04 or +32 476 621 018

No letup in anti-union pressure in Colombia

2013-04-19T12:09:20Z

The ITUC has strongly condemned the threats issued to 92 organisations and leaders defending human, political and labour rights. The activists were slandered and declared "enemies and permanent military targets" for having "attacked the government's good and noble intentions to foster peace". They were warned that "the threats will be acted upon" if their activities are not brought to an end.

"This endless wave of anti-union and anti-social pressure is unacceptable," said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow. "The Colombian authorities have a duty to protect their people and their workers, and, above all, to bring an end to impunity."
Over 280 trade unionists received death threats and 20 were killed in Colombia during 2012. Four trade unionists have already been assassinated in the first three months of 2013.

National, regional and international trade union movements have once again joined with the three Colombian trade union centres, CUT, CGT and CTC, in reiterating their unwavering condemnation of the relentless attacks on the Colombian trade union movement, including the constant intimidation, harassment, persecution and murder of union leaders and members, in blatant violation of the core ILO Conventions ratified by Colombia.

In a letter to the Colombian authorities, the ITUC vehemently condemned the threats issued and firmly rejected the unfounded accusations regarding the human rights activists' alleged links with the insurgency, and demanded constitutional guarantees with respect to the fundamental right to organise and freedom of association.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 62 10 18

International unions call on FIFA to rerun the vote for the Qatar 2022 World Cup

2013-04-17T13:36:16Z

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has written to FIFA calling on the international football federation to rerun the vote for the 2022 World Cup and establish workers rights as a criteria for any future bid.

The move comes after a series of broken promises and no sign of any change from FIFA or the Qatari Government to address the fact that hundreds of workers are dying and thousands more are injured in Qatar.

ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow said more than a million migrant workers faced continued exploitation, poverty wages and denial of the most basic rights.

“This is not a move we take lightly. The 2022 World Cup was awarded years ahead of schedule, if a new venue is selected in the next two years there is still time for the infrastructure to be in place in time for the games. FIFA must act now- the longer the delay, the more workers will suffer and die.

“FIFA and Qatar have spoken frequently about need for reform, but the record is rife with broken promises. The Qataris have pledged to ensure that international labour standards are met, while construction workers die at a rate eight times that of other rich countries,” said Ms Burrow.

A leaked copy of a ‘Workers Charter' written by the local organizing committee for the games obtained by Equal Times shows contradictions with Qatari law and fails to give workers any real rights or protection from slavery conditions.

The 2022 World Cup has been plagued with controversy since it was awarded to Qatar in December 2010.

“Allegations of corruption and vote-buying among FIFA executives, extreme heat endangering athletes and migrant workers receiving poverty pay and even fewer legal protections are enough reasons for FIFA to reopen the voting process,” said Sharan Burrow.

The ITUC Equal Times campaign www.rerunthevote.org is asking union members and football fans to pressure FIFA to change the venue for the 2022 World Cup unless workers rights are respected.

Qatar could maintain its candidacy for the 2022 event, but should only win confirmation of its bid if it truly meets global labour standards and stops treating the people building the World Cup facilities as slaves.

The global campaign is in 11 languages – Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Campaign materials can be downloaded from www.rerunthevote.org A campaign pack is available for ITUC affiliates by contacting press@ituc-csi.org.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 02 04 or +32 476 621 018

Bangladesh - Murder of Aminul Islam

2013-04-15T08:19:59Z

Just over one year ago, labour activist Aminul Islam was tortured and murdered in Bangladesh. It appears that Mr Islam was not the victim of random violence but rather targeted for his trade union work.

His murder was no doubt meant to send a clear message to trade unions and NGOs not to protest the low wages, gruelling hours and poor working conditions that characterize the RMG industry. Some suspects have been interrogated, but as yet no one has been arrested, much less prosecuted. It is believed that members of the intelligence service are involved in his murder.

More troubling, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hassina, appearing on the BBC, cast doubt on the fact that Aminul Islam was ever a labour activist and further claimed that no one had ever heard of him before his murder. This extraordinary statement was made even after the murder was featured in the international media and after then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had raised it with the PM herself. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJcP7TDXwPw (at minute 4:00).

The ITUC wrote to the government immediately after the murder and has raised it subsequently. Last week, the ITUC again called on the government to conduct a full investigation into the crimes and the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 02 04 or +32 476 621 018

Photo: Jonas in China

We stand with the children and teachers of pakistan!

2013-04-03T16:30:04Z

The assassination of a teacher of an all-girls school in the Khyber tribal district on 25 March and the murder of the principal of the Baldia Town school in Karachi on 30 March, are a stark reminder to the world of the persistence of threats, intimidation, arson attacks and sometimes even murder that are the weapons used in a war against girls accessing educational opportunities. On-going attacks on teachers and schools have caused outrage in the international community, in Pakistan itself and among educators worldwide.


We stand with the children and teachers of pakistan!

Vatican In Unholy Alliance at United Nations

2013-03-08T16:06:01Z

The ITUC has written to the Vatican calling on it to halt its campaign to stop the United Nations adopting stronger standards on violence against women at the UN Commission on the Status of Women meeting in New York.

“It is shocking that the Vatican is leading an unholy alliance, with Iran, to stop the UN stepping up action to protect women and girls from violence,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow. “Hundreds of millions of women have experienced violence, assault and genital mutilation, and hundreds of millions more will if governments, led by the UN, fail to step up action. The idea that somehow ‘cultural or religious practices' can be used as an excuse for violence, torture, mutilation or murder cannot be allowed to prevail in the modern era. We call on the Vatican and its government allies to drop their resistance to full protection for girls and women.”

Click here to read the letter to the Vatican.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 02 04 or +32 476 621 018

Photo: Doug88888

The ITUC urges the international community to act for the protection of women's rights and their defenders

2013-03-06T15:26:48Z

The ITUC fully supports the declaration presented yesterday by four Arab human rights organisations to the UN Human Rights Council and urges the international community to act for the protection of women's rights and their defenders.

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Egyptian New Woman Foundation, the Nazra for Feminist Studies and the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women publicly denounced the continuous impunity for the cases of sexual harassment and rape recently witnessed in Egypt in the context of demonstrations. According to these organisations, the failure of the authorities to fulfil their responsibilities to secure public spaces for women results in marginalisation and restriction on their participation in public affairs

On the occasion of the International Women's Day, the ITUC pays tribute to all women's rights' defenders who played and continue to play a crucial role in the Arab uprising movements . “Women activists have been unique in linking up the demands for women's rights to the ones for social justice and democracy. Their refusal to be cowed, their unshakeable self - confidence and their determination to continue the struggle despite the dangers, deserve our respect ” said Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the ITUC.

The ITUC stands in solidarity with the women' movement in Libya who is struggling to ensure women's representation in the upcoming Constituent Assembly as well as the inclusion of provisions supporting women's rights in the new Libyan Constitution.

The ITUC Arab Women Network aims to strengthen the position of women in the region

Read oral intervention

Photo: ForestForTrees

Colombia: Armed Attack on Trade Union Leaders in Cali

2013-02-26T09:21:58Z

The ITUC has firmly denounced the attempt on the lives of Luis Miguel Morantes, the President of its affiliated organisation, the CTC (Confederación de Trabajadores de Colombia), and Adolfo Devia, vice president of the Cali municipal workers' union, the USE (Unión Sindical Emcali).

The attack took place on Saturday 23 February in the city of Cali. The trade union leaders had just left a meeting with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and government representatives, regarding the dismissal of over 400 public workers in Cali.
The assailants shot at the trade unionists' vehicle several times before being fended off by the team of bodyguards accompanying them. Fortunately the vehicle was armoured, saving the passengers from any injury.

This criminal act is one in a series of attacks marking an escalation in anti-union violence in Colombia since the start of the year.

"The situation is extremely grave. The Colombian government has made countless commitments at international level to tackle the climate of intimidation and violence against trade unionists. These latest incidents place us on red alert," said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

In a letter to the Colombian authorities, the ITUC urged President Juan Manuel Santos to take every action necessary, and with every urgency, to ensure that the culprits are found and to guarantee the protection of the trade unionists.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 02 04 or +32 476 621 018

Algeria: North African Trade Unionists Arrested and Attacked

2013-02-22T14:36:39Z

The ITUC has firmly condemned the attacks on the rights of North African trade unionists visiting Algeria to take part in the first North African Forum to Fight Unemployment and Precarious Work.

"The police raided the hotel where the trade unionists were staying and proceeded to arrest five Moroccans, three Tunisians and three Mauritanians, including two women," reported the independent national public workers' union SNAPAP. They were then driven directly to the airport and deported from the country, without being able to inform anyone by telephone.

The trade unionists detained were due to take part in a meeting at the Maison des syndicats, hired by the SNAPAP in Dar El Beïda (Algiers). Police surrounded the trade union premises early in the morning and prohibited any attempt to access or vacate the building. The police also went on to arrest Abdelkader Kherba, a member of the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights, LADDH, and the National Committee to Defend the Rights of the Unemployed, CNDDC, along with three members of the SNAPAP National Executive.

Following a number of meetings in Tunisia and Morocco, the representatives of unemployed graduates and young precarious workers in the Maghreb established the North African Union to Fight Unemployment and Precarious Work (L'Union maghrébine pour la lutte contre le chômage et le travail précaire). The meeting in Algeria was organised in preparation for the World Social Forum (WSF) to be held in Tunis from 26 to 30 March 2013. The Tunis WSF will place special emphasis on the stakes in terms of rights and social justice in the Maghreb region.

In a letter sent to the Algerian authorities, the ITUC firmly condemned the attacks against the trade unionists and urged the government to take every action to ensure that those arrested are released without delay.

"The ITUC bitterly regrets this display given by the Algerian authorities, through these attacks on trade unionists, of the need to continue to fight for respect for trade union rights and freedoms. The ITUC firmly condemns the police's arbitrary action against members of the SNAPAP and their guests, and demands the immediate and unconditional release of all those still under arrest," said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 02 04 or +32 476 621 018.