Brussels, 7 October 2009: A new report by the ITUC on core labour standards in Chile, published to coincide with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) review of its trade policies, has found that current legislation limits the right to organise and collective bargaining.
In particular, the right to strike is restricted for public sector workers, who are barred from collective bargaining. In the private sector the practice of sacking strikers is not outlawed and employers can replace strikers, and it is up to employers to choose whether or not to bargain with unions.
There are many reports of anti-union discrimination, and among the report’s findings is that the law provides insufficient protection for union members and organisers. Furthermore the government has halted its correspondence with ILO’s Committee of Experts for the Application of the Conventions and Recommendations.
The report observes that despite reasonably good legal provisions against discrimination, in practice women have less access to quality employment and receive lower wages. While the gender gap has decreased in the course of the last years, the participation of women in the economy and especially in managerial level positions is very low. Disabled persons and indigenous people are also disadvantaged in terms of employment.
Legislation against child labour is adequate but child labour is a problem, chiefly in agriculture, domestic work, supermarkets and restaurants, street vending and construction. The government has made progress, though, in taking measures to prevent and eliminate child labour.
The report also notices that, while Chile is still elaborating new anti-trafficking legislation, the current system of legal processing of trafficking cases has extremely long time lags, making the prosecution of such cases difficult.
To read the full report in English
To read the full report in Spanish
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