INTERNATIONAL LABOUR/FEMINISM:

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IS A UNION ISSUE:

Today, November 25, was the UN International Day on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Here is the statement from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) about why this issue is very much a labour issue. many thanks to the online labour solidarity site Labour Start for pointing Molly in the direction of this statement. The only quibble I might have with the following is in the title. "Governments" are unlikely to be very effective in stopping such violence, and they are often the root cause of it.

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Stop Violence Against Women Day:

Governments to Take Decisive Action to End Violence Against Women:
Brussels, 25 November 2009: On the occasion of the UN International Day on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the ITUC and affiliates in a range of countries are organizing activities to say “no to violence against women and girls” and to mobilize against the impunity of that violence around the world. These activities are taking place in the context of the UN Secretary-General’s campaign ‘UNiTE to End Violence against Women’ and the Global Unions Campaign ‘Decent Work, Decent Life for Women’.

“Violence against women at work is a serious problem, just as it is in society generally. Trade unions are campaigning on both fronts, to get rid of it in the workplace and in the community,” said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder, “Inequality and pervasive discrimination against women and girls are at the core of the problem, providing an environment where violence is tolerated or even encouraged.”

One-third of women are subjected to violent attack at some point in their lives, with the majority of cases involving rape or attempted rape. Women aged 15 - 44 are more at risk of death and disability through domestic violence than through cancer, motor accidents, war and malaria, and each year some two million girls between aged five and 15 are subjected to commercial sexual exploitation.

Women in many different economic sectors also experience violence in their working life, including domestic work, manufacturing sweatshops, agriculture and the hospitality industry, while sexual harassment remains a serious problem across the spectrum of employment and in every part of the world.

The First ITUC World Women’s Conference (19-21 October 2009) adopted a resolution on “Violence against women” which aims to further intensify trade union action. The Conference launched an appeal to the international community, and in particular to the governments of the countries concerned, to take decisive action to bring an end to the violence perpetrated against women, based on their status as women or as trade unionists, especially in armed conflicts and in situations where violence against women – including rape – is used systematically as a weapon of war.
To see the Women’s Conference webpage
The ITUC is also working with Global Union Federations in their respective industrial sector, including the campaign by Union Network International

”Stop the violence against women: Break the circle!“
To see the special ITUC webapge on violence against women
To see the spotlight interview with Rosane Sasse (UGT-Brazil)

http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article4640

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

ANNUAL SURVEY OF VIOLATIONS OF TRADE UNION RIGHTS:

The fact that union rights, like any other rights, have to be fought for- they are not granted by any mythical conscience or charity of the ruling class, whether corporate or statist, is a well established fact. Each year brings more and more examples of repression of workers who are simply exercising their rights to advance their own interests via unionization. This year's 'Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights', produced by the International Trade Union Confederation(ITUC) gives a clear view of just how widespread such practices are. Here is the forward to their report. Go to the link above to read the full report.

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ANNUAL SURVEY OF VIOLATIONS OF TRADE UNION RIGHTS:

Foreword
As you open this year’s Annual Survey of Trade Union Violations, you may be thinking of the terrifying impact of the global financial and economic crisis which hit millions of working women and men around the world in both industrialised and developing countries in 2008.

The crisis emphasises the need to develop a global economy based on decent jobs and social justice and it underlines the need for a better distribution of wealth. Instead workers everywhere have begun to feel the full impact of surging unemployment on their lives and that of their families and communities as decent work and decent jobs disappear. They have also begun to see the growing impact on their rights at work.

Trade union rights are universally-recognised human rights at work. Two key International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions which define and guarantee them (conventions 87 and 98) have been ratified by 149 and 159 Member States of the ILO, respectively, out of a total of 182 worldwide.

Despite this formal recognition by governments, the ITUC is, this year again, documenting the continuous and often massive and harsh violations of fundamental trade union rights. This Survey is one of the ITUC’s means to expose and denounce those violations through its overview of the trade union rights situation in the world in 2008.

Countries where widespread and grave anti-union practices have unfortunately continued include: Colombia, Burma, Belarus, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Iran, Pakistan and the Philippines. Countries such as Honduras and Guatemala should this year be added to this list. In many other countries, where violations are not as outrageous, there is an overall growing tendency to undermine workers’ rights. Interference in trade union activities has been reported in Iraq, Kuwait, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Turkey and Venezuela(!!-Molly), among others. Despite some legislative proposals or measures in some Middle East countries and Gulf States, migrant workers are still denied trade union rights in many countries. In addition to that, companies continued to take advantage of poor legislation and weak implementation to undermine workers' rights.

Worldwide in 2008, at least 76 labour activists were killed as a result of their actions for workers’ rights. Latin America remains the deadliest continent for trade unionists with over 66 murdered in 2008. 49 Colombian trade unionists lost their lives (including 16 union leaders, 4 of whom were women), a 25% increase over 2007. Trade unionists were also killed in Guatemala (9), Honduras (3) and Venezuela (4)(!!!-Molly) among others. In Asia, at least 6 murders were reported (Nepal and the Philippines), as well as 3 in Africa (Nigeria, Tunisia and Zimbabwe) and 1 in the Middle East (Iraq).

In countries in every region, trade unions continue to be banned, or their establishment restricted. China still bans independent trade unions. Those attempting to unionise groups of workers or organise protests are often arrested, with some given prison sentences and others condemned to ‘re-education through work’.

Certain categories of workers also continue to be excluded. This includes public servants, agricultural workers, migrant and domestic workers, etc. The right to strike is often unduly limited, with lists of public services in which strike action is restricted going far beyond the ILO definition.

Again this year, several thousand trade unionists and workers were dismissed for participating in strike actions or protests; thousands more were harassed or discriminated against and hundreds arrested. The situation of domestic workers, mostly women and migrant workers in the Middle East and the Gulf States as well as some African and Asian countries, is also disturbing. Outright denial and other violations of labour and trade union rights were common in export processing zones, for example in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Swaziland, Bangladesh, Kenya, Mauritius and Pakistan.

Furthermore, the ongoing globalisation of the world economy coupled with the global financial and economic crisis put inordinate pressure on labour markets, working conditions and workers’ rights everywhere. Workers continue to be threatened by employers with relocation, outsourcing and downsizing, with inevitable negative consequences for the effective exercise of their trade union rights.

New forms of employment relationships are also affecting fundamental rights. The use of bogus self-employment as well as subcontractors or labour agencies is increasing in industrialised and developing countries. This report documents cases in Korea, Croatia, Poland, Montenegro, Georgia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Peru, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Africa, Chad and Morocco, amongst others. Sadly, we can only fear that next year’s Survey will paint a worsening picture.

This Survey, covering 143 countries, is also intended as a tool. It highlights wasted opportunities to promote better industrial relations, improve working conditions and productivity and to build or consolidate democratic institutions. It also illustrates good practice in cases where improvements are recorded. For instance, new legislation recognizing and enabling trade union organising has been adopted in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique and Australia.

You will find the full text of ILO core conventions 87 and 98 in the annexes as well as an overview of ILO decisions on key issues concerning trade union rights, which are often insufficiently known and understood.

Legislative frameworks and effective institutions should provide adequate protection and guarantees on freedom of association and collective bargaining. Unfortunately, in too many parts of the world, including Asia, the Middle East and the Gulf States, freedom of association is still not guaranteed by constitutions or labour laws.

Effective implementation of international conventions or even national labour laws and respect for trade union rights continues to fall far short of workers’ rightful expectations. This year again, the ITUC is reporting assassinations, abductions, arrests and imprisonments, as well as death threats, dismissals, harassments, acts of discrimination and intimidation against trade unionists.

Yet, millions of trade unionists and labour activists around the world continue to fight for workers’ solidarity, sometimes at the risk of losing their own lives or livelihoods. Prominent examples in 2008 included trade union leaders in Zimbabwe, Colombia, Guinea, Guatemala, the Philippines, Iraq and Iran.

I want to thank our affiliates, the Global Union Federations and all the persons who contributed to making this Survey possible, and to pay tribute to all those whose dedication to justice, equity and fairness at work has achieved so much for so many working people.

The ITUC remains the international voice and ally of trade unionists worldwide, especially when they can not rely on fair national legal systems to protect their fundamental trade union rights.

More than ever, the ITUC’s mission is to stand side by side with workers in their struggle for justice and the defence of trade union rights worldwide because "An Injury to One is an Injury to All!"

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

LABOUR TO THE G20...:

In the lead up to the upcoming G20 summit in London the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has issued the following statement to the world leaders that will gather in London.

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Trade Unions to G20: Half Measures Will Not Fix Broken Global Economy:
Brussels, 23 March 2009 (ITUC OnLine): In a worldwide push for action by G20 governments to pull the global economy out of recession and chart a new course for job creation, financial regulation and global governance, trade unions across the world are today delivering a common set of demands to their national governments. The five-point union plan, which includes detailed policy proposals, sets out the actions needed to tackle the crisis and build a fairer and more sustainable world economy for the future. It calls for:

**a coordinated international recovery and sustainable growth plan to create jobs and ensure public investment;
**nationalisation of insolvent banks and new financial regulations;
**action to combat the risk of wage deflation and reverse decades of increasing inequality;
**far-reaching action on climate change;
**a new international legal framework to regulate the global economy along with reform of the global financial and economic institutions (IMF, World Bank, OECD, WTO).

The “Global Unions G20 London Declaration” , developed by the ITUC and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) at the OECD, sets out the steps which need to be taken by the G20 in cooperation with other governments. It is being presented by national trade union movements to their governments today, and will be formally submitted to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in London on 2 April. Trade unions from around the world will be joining their colleagues from the British TUC in a huge civil society mobilisation planned for London on 28 March, to press home the need for coordinated global action by governments.





“If the G20 governments in London are only able to agree on half-measures, they will have failed to meet their responsibilities. As the world’s largest economies, they have the responsibility and the possibility to replace the failed neo-liberalism of the past with a whole new direction for globalisation,” said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder.





Recovery and sustainable growth can be achieved, according to the Declaration, but only if the focus is on job creation and public investment, active labour market policies, extending social safety nets and special measures for developing and emerging economies. The trade unions also put forward an eight-point specific action plan for global financial regulation, with immediate action to nationalise insolvent banks.





“Weak or non-existent regulation of banking and financial activity turned the world economy into an anything-goes casino, plunging the world into deep recession and causing the loss of tens of millions of jobs. This needs to be fixed urgently. Another main pillar of recovery and reform, creating decent, sustainable jobs and boosting purchasing power, must also be given priority attention at the G20,” said John Evans, General Secretary of the TUAC.





The London Declaration points to the real risk of wage deflation, and highlights the fact that growing income inequality across the world has been a major contributor to the current recession, as workers’ purchasing power has been insufficient to help maintain demand for goods and services. Ensuring that all workers have the right to collective bargaining, and strengthening wage-setting institutions, will establish a decent floor in labour markets and feed economic stimulus through more household buying power. This is closely linked to the broader requirement for reform of the IMF, World Bank, WTO and OECD, with the inclusion of the International Labour Organisation at the centre of an effective and accountable system of global governance.





“Financial regulation is essential, but it is not enough. The new global governance must be based on a strong pillar of social rights, including crucially the ILO’s core labour standards. The real economy, decent work and poverty reduction can no longer be left at the fringe of global policy. The G20 should not limit its horizons by simply making marginal changes to a discredited system. It needs to lead a complete overhaul in the way the world economy is run. Those who think that we can return to business as usual are seriously mistaken,” said Ryder.





The union proposals also focus on the urgent need for impetus to tackle climate change, given the enormous environmental, social and economic costs of inaction. Already, governments should be using coordinated global fiscal response to the economic crisis to set the world on a “green economy” path. Creation of green jobs, and action to ensure “just transition” in communities and sectors affected by the move to environmentally-friendly production, are central to achieving the levels of greenhouse gas reduction needed, and will contribute to pulling the world out of recession.





“Governments have the levers available now to turn the world towards a green growth path. Failure to take this opportunity would be a tragedy for humankind, and for the future of the planet,” said Evans.





The ITUC represents 170 million workers in 312 affiliated national organisations from 157 countries. http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI
For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

COUNTING THE TOLL:

Here's an interesting item that Molly recently discovered on the AFL-CIO Blog. It's a story on the International Trade Union Confederation's Annual Survey of violations of Trade Union Rights. The article below concentrates on the murders of trade unions in the year 2007, but the report itself hardly restricts itself to this most grievous of employer crimes. Well worth looking at.

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91 Trade Unionists Murdered in 2007:

by James Parks, Dec 1, 2008
A total of 91 trade unionists were murdered for fighting for workers’ rights worldwide in 2007, according to the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC’s) Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights, released late last month.

Colombia, where 39 union members were killed in 2007, again tops the list of most dangerous countries to be a union member. While there was a slight reduction in killings in Colombia compared with the previous year, ITUC says many attempts to kill Colombian unionists failed, and there was a notable increase in forced removals, arbitrary arrests, illegal raids and threats, especially in agriculture, health and education.

In Guinea, 30 unionists were murdered. ITUC says the regime of President Lansana Conte was directly responsible for the killing of 30 unionists during the brutal repression of union-organized public demonstrations against corruption and violations of fundamental rights.
The survey also noted a disturbing increase in violence in Guatemala as trade unions were increasingly targeted, with four unionists murdered and a worsening climate of threats and harassment.

ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder says:

"Repression of legitimate trade union activities…continued unabated in every continent. Murder, violence and torture, along with harassment, dismissal and imprisonment, were all used to stop working people organising unions and bargaining collectively for decent pay and working conditions. Several governments were only too ready to openly or covertly support unscrupulous employers who deny fundamental rights to their employees.

Governments have failed to do enough to protect workers’ rights, either at home or in their international diplomatic, economic and trade relations. "

The survey also singled out the United States and Australia among industrialized nations for restricting workers’ freedom to form unions, citing court decisions in Australia and the Bush National Labor Relations Board rulings in this country.

Several disturbing trends emerged in the survey, which covers worker rights violations in 138 countries. Among those: collusion between some governments and employers to deprive workers of their legitimate rights to union membership and representation. Serious and systematic harassment and intimidation was reported in 63 countries.

Seventy-three unionists were sent to prison in 2007, including 40 in Iran, where systematic suppression of workers organizing in transportation and education continued. Fourteen unionists were jailed in Morocco and seven in Burma, where the junta targeted union activists as part of its brutal crackdown on any moves for democracy and human rights.

In Africa, employers in several countries used lax labor laws to encourage splits in trade unions and create employer-controlled groups to replace independent trade unions. Conditions were especially bad in Zimbabwe and Swaziland, which also appeared on a list of countries where Chinese-owned and -funded projects were cited for poor working conditions and exploitation of the workforce.

In the Middle East and Asia:
**Saudi employers beat four female Indonesian domestic workers so badly that two died, and police forcibly removed the other two from the hospital.
**Two trade unionists, one of whom was abducted and tortured, were killed due to their union activities in Iraq.
**Murders of trade unionists were once again reported in Cambodia and the Philippines.