13 June, 2013Focusing especially on Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Guatemala, Burma, Fiji, Georgia and Bahrain, this year’s annual ITUC survey is a valuable resource.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) issues an annual call for compilation of all trade union violations occurring country-by-country. The confederation of national labour centres annually publishes its Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights.
The 2013 ITUC Report “Countries at Risk-Violations of Trade Union Rights” was officially launched on 12 June at the International Labour Conference.
This report points at key findings in 87 countries with a special focus on the seven countries where the existence of trade unions and other democratic institutions are under extreme risk: Burma/Myanmar, Bahrain, Fiji, Guatemala, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Georgia.
Marking the publication of the report, ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow stated:
“Hundreds of millions of working people, in developing and in industrialized countries, are denied the fundamental rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining,”
“For many, especially those in precarious employment, this denial wreaks havoc on their lives, as they work extremely long hours in hazardous or unhealthy situations with incomes so low that they are unable to support themselves and their households properly. Lack of respect for workers’ rights has increased inequality around the world, and that inequality helped trigger the global economic crisis and stand in the way of recovery.”
See the report in full on the ITUC website here. (http://www.ituc-csi.org/countries-at-risk-2013-report-on)