SU of 2011TrAde UnIon rIghTS l UA nn A Anglais

268 Pages·2011·7.64 MB·English

AnnUAl SUrvey
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ITUC International Trade Union Confederation
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5 Bld Roi Albert II, Bte 1 – B-1210 Brussels, Belgium 1
Tel.: + 32 2 224 02 11 – Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected] – www.ituc-csi.org 2
PuBlIshER REsPonsIBlE In lAw: sharan Burrow, General secretary InTERnATIonAl TRAdE unIon ConFEdERATIon
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t Period under review: January to december 2010
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The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is a confederation of national trade
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union centres, each of which links the trade unions of that particular country. It was
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established on 1 November 2006, bringing together the organisations which were formerly
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o affiliated to the ICFTU and WCL (both now dissolved) as well as many national trade union
nti centres which had no international affiliation at the time. The new Confederation has
a 305 affiliated organisations in 151 countries and territories on all five continents, with a
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o membership of 175 million, 40 per cent of whom are women. It is also a partner in “Global
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v Unions” together with the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the 0ECD and the Global
Union Federations (GUFs) which link together national unions from a particular trade or
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o industry at international level. The ITUC has specialised bureaux in countries around the
world, and has General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the
United Nations.
InternAtIonAl trAde UnIon ConfederAtIon
Boulevard du Roi Albert II, 5, bte 1, B-1210 Brussels - Belgium
Tel. [phone] - Fax [phone]
E-mail: [email protected] - website: www.ituc-csi.org
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s foreword ............................5 Argentina ...........................78 europe .............................182
Bahamas ............................79 Negative impact of
the Arab world Barbados ...........................80 European Austerity
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in 2010 ...............................9 Belize ..................................81 packages .........................184
n Bolivia .................................82 Albania .............................186
the eight core labour Brazil ...................................83 Azerbaijan ........................186
standards of the Ilo ..13 Canada ...............................84 Belarus .............................187
e Chile ....................................86 Belgium ............................190
Africa .................................14 Colombia ............................87 Bosnia and
Algeria ................................16 Costa Rica .........................91 Herzegovina ....................191
t Angola ................................18 Cuba ....................................92 Bulgaria ............................192
Benin ...................................19 Dominican Republic .......93 Croatia ..............................194
n Botswana ...........................19 Ecuador ..............................94 Czech Republic ..............195
Burkina Faso.....................20 El Salvador ........................95 Estonia ..............................196
Burundi ...............................21 Guatemala .........................97 France ..............................198
o Cameroon ..........................22 Haiti .....................................99 Georgia .............................199
Central African Honduras .........................101 Germany ..........................201
Republic .............................23 Jamaica ...........................102 Hungary............................202
C Chad ....................................24 Mexico ..............................103 Italy ....................................203
Congo, Democratic Nicaragua ........................107 Kosovo ..............................204
Republic of ........................25 Panama ............................108 Latvia ................................205
Congo, Republic of .........26 Paraguay ..........................110 Lithuania ..........................206
Côte d’Ivoire ......................26 Peru ...................................111 Macedonia, the former
Djibouti ...............................27 Trinidad and Tobago .....113 Yugoslav Republic of ....207
Egypt ...................................28 Uruguay ............................114 Moldova ...........................207
Equatorial Guinea ............32 USA ...................................115 Montenegro ....................209
Eritrea .................................33 Venezuela ........................118 Poland ..............................210
Ethiopia ..............................33 Portugal ............................211
Gabon .................................35 Asia and the Pacific ..120 Romania ...........................212
Ghana .................................36 Australia ...........................122 Russian Federation .......213
Guinea ................................37 Bangladesh .....................123 Serbia ...............................218
Guinea Bissau ..................38 Burma ...............................127 Spain .................................219
Kenya ..................................39 Cambodia ........................128 Switzerland .....................220
Lesotho ..............................41 China .................................132 Turkey ...............................221
Liberia .................................41 Fiji ......................................136 Ukraine .............................226
Libya ...................................42 Hong Kong SAR United Kingdom .............229
Madagascar ......................43 (China) ..............................138
Malawi ................................44 India ..................................140 Middle east ...................232
Mali .....................................45 Indonesia .........................145 Bahrain .............................234
Mauritania .........................46 Japan ................................147 Iran ....................................235
Mauritius ............................48 Korea (Democratic Iraq ....................................238
Morocco .............................49 People’s Republic of) ...148 Israel .................................240
Mozambique .....................50 Korea, Republic of .........150 Jordan ..............................241
Namibia ..............................51 Laos ..................................154 Kuwait ...............................243
Nigeria ................................52 Macau SAR (China) ......155 Lebanon ...........................245
Rwanda ..............................55 Malaysia ...........................156 Oman ................................246
Senegal ..............................55 Maldives ...........................159 Palestine ..........................247
South Africa ......................57 Mongolia ..........................160 Qatar .................................249
Sudan .................................59 Nepal .................................161 Saudi Arabia ...................250
Swaziland ..........................59 New Zealand ..................163 Syria ..................................251
Tanzania .............................62 Pakistan ...........................164 United Arab Emirates ...252
Togo ....................................63 Philippines .......................167 Yemen ...............................253
Tunisia ................................64 Singapore ........................170
Uganda ...............................65 Sri Lanka..........................171 Appendices ...................257
Zambia ...............................67 Taiwan ..............................174
Zimbabwe ..........................68 Thailand ...........................175
Timor Leste
Americas ..........................74 (East Timor) .....................178
Restriction of rights Vietnam ............................179
in the Americas ................76
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d The publication of the ITUC Annual Survey this year comes at a time of mo-
mentous change across the Arab world as people mobilise for their democratic
r rights. The denial of fundamental rights at work in these countries and the
failure of countries to ensure decent jobs for millions of people, especially the
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young, are documented in this report. These trends, especially severe in the
w Arab countries, have been major drivers of the massive demand for reform
there, but the denial of rights at work is by no means limited to the Middle East.
Further erosion of the rights to organise unions and to collective bargaining
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worldwide is a strong feature of this year’s Survey, which covers 143 countries.
r The crisis in employment, set off by the global economic crisis, continues in
every region as those who make policy have largely failed to make the changes
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needed to create and sustain employment. Governments have simply swallowed
free market corporate rhetoric at the expense not only of working families but
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also of the stability and future of their own national economies. Big banks, big
finance and big business have been allowed to dominate government policy,
while unemployment, poverty and insecurity continue to grow. The very inequal-
ity, which was a driving force in tipping the world into economic crisis, is still
growing, and the violation of basic international labour standards is itself the
primary cause of this inequality.
While these global trends accelerate, trade unions in many countries face the
most severe repression by governments and employers. Ninety people were
killed in 2010 due to their involvement in legitimate trade union activities, and a
further 75 were subjected to death threats. This Survey also documents some
2,500 arrests and 5,000 dismissals of trade unionists. Many more cases went
unreported, in particular due to the climate of anti-union fear and intimidation in
which many workers carry out their union activities.
Once again this year, the Americas was the deadliest region with the death toll
remaining high in Colombia (49) and in Guatemala (10). A further 20 murder
attempts were recorded in Colombia and two in Guatemala. Killings were also
recorded in Bangladesh, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Pakistan, the Philippines,
Swaziland and Uganda. In Iran, a teacher trade unionist was hanged after a
“trial” which violated the most basic standards of justice, despite international
protests.
In Belarus, Burma, Cambodia, Djibouti, the Russian Federation, Honduras, Iran,
Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Mexico, the Philippines, Swaziland and Zimbabwe,
many trade union organisations continued to operate in a climate of violence
and constant threats. The ILO’s Commission of Inquiry on Zimbabwe confirmed
that the Zimbabwean government was responsible for systemic and systematic
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violations of trade union rights. In Djibouti, the ILO expressed its deep concern
at the government’s complete lack of will to settle several cases of trade union
rights violations.
Even before the popular uprisings in the Arab world, workers taking part in strike
actions and other union activities faced violence and arrest. Again, such intimi-
dation was not limited to Arab countries. The Survey includes cases from Bang-
ladesh, South Korea, Cambodia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, India, Iran,
Nigeria, Panama, the Philippines, Qatar, Tunisia and Yemen amongst others. In
Iran, the government failed to deliver on its promise to free Mansour Osanloo,
leader of the Teheran bus workers union, and imprisoned at least seven others.
One person was also sentenced to corporal punishment. In Panama, some 700
people were injured and 101 arrested when the authorities reacted to worker
protests at the removal of key legal protections at work.
Complete bans on trade unionism remained in place in several countries,
notably Burma, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, while severe restric-
tions on the right to strike and other forms of union activity made effective
trade union representation almost impossible. In certain sectors, especially
agriculture, the public sector and domestic service, bans or restrictions on union
activity deprived workers of representation in a number of countries, as did
overly-broad definitions of “essential services”. Single, government-controlled
or government-sponsored trade union systems also remained in China, Laos,
North Korea, Syria, Vietnam and other countries.
Other notable deficiencies highlighted in the Survey include weak or non-
existent enforcement of labour laws, including lack of investment in labour
inspection, appalling treatment of migrant workers in every region, especially in
the Gulf countries, and exploitation of the mainly female workforce in the world’s
export processing zones.
Some of the world’s most wealthy economies also figure in the report, in
particular the USA, where attacks on organising and collective bargaining rights
already identified in 2009 and previous years have actually intensified in 2010.
Defending and promoting workers’ rights to freedom of association and
collective bargaining constitutes the primary mission of the ITUC. Our actions
in direct solidarity with workers whose rights are under attack, as well as in
international fora, in particular at the ILO, are and will always be the top priority
of the ITUC. Our work across the scope of global institutions and international
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events – at the UN, the G20, the international financial institutions and
elsewhere – will continue to put these fundamental rights, which are essential
not only to human dignity and social justice but also to ending global poverty
and ensuring sustainable development, at the forefront.
Sharan Burrow
General Secretary
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An explosive situation before
1 the shake-up in tunisia
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Mustapha Tlili, Director, ITUC Regional Office For Arab Countries,
2 Amman – Jordan

n The suddenness of the revolution in Tunisia in December 2010 and the immediate
domino effect in Egypt have caused a powerful wind of real change and a yearning for
change to blow through the entire Arab world.
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In Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Kurdistan the news has been
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painfully dominated by instances of fierce crackdowns by many of the respective powers-
that-be, designed to quell any such aspirations. This suppression has claimed hundreds
l of civilian lives, left thousands injured and prompted very numerous arrests. Protests
have also been stamped out in Algeria, Mauritania, Jordan, Morocco and Palestine. In
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some countries, like Tunisia and Egypt, such government repression failed to prevent
o illegitimate, corrupt regimes from caving in to pressure exerted by the general public. In
others, like Morocco, large-scale popular uprisings ended up exacting announcements of
encouraging reforms.
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The profound causes of the popular uprisings in all these countries are identical: the
denial of fundamental human rights, unemployment, poverty, inequality, corruption and
the despair of an entire young generation deprived of future prospects.
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This report highlights the extremely dark picture regarding trade union rights in the Arab
region in 2010. Against the backdrop of extremely severe restrictions imposed on the
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freedom of association, trade union rights are being very extensively violated there in
spite of repeated promises by a series of countries that the situation will improve, and
r the tangible headway made in 2010 in the countries in question was far too meagre. The
excessive frequency of rights violations presented in this report should suffice to convey
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the explosive nature of the situation that prevailed in 2010.
In Tunisia, the report spotlights the rising tide of social protest that was suppressed by
the authorities, especially in the mining region of Gafsa (in the west central part of the
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country), which was where the first of the riots that eventually dethroned President Ben
Ali broke out in December 2010. The government constantly meddled in the affairs of
h the Tunisian trade union movement until the last few days of the year, when the protests
flared up thanks to growing support from the Tunisian General Union of Labor.
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In Egypt, the wave of revolt that began in 2006 was still going strong in 2010. The
report stresses that in spite of sackings and reprisals by employers, police violence and
numerous arrests, more and more workers had no hesitation in taking strike action and
taking to the streets to protest. The report also underlines the strengthening of Egypt’s
independent trade union movement, which having suffered many years of harassment
under the old regime would play a key role in the revolution and in countering the influ-
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