Colombia - due to the extremely serious trade union rights violations that occur in Colombia ICTUR maintains a special focus on that country, publishing a regular news bulletin on both English and Spanish language websites: See the Colombia trade union rights violations monitoring project

Bahrain
On 19 March the sixth in an ongoing series of investigations was launched against Ms Najiya Abdulghaffar, Vice President of the postal workers’ trade union affiliated to the BGFTU. The investigations began in 2003 shortly after Ms. Abdulghaffar’s election when she began campaigning in the newly-established trade union. In response to her trade union activities Ms. Abdulghaffar has received letters from senior government officials and has been called before investigatory committees accused of ‘wasting time’ and ‘disobeying orders’. Previous hearings have resulted in threatened and actual salary suspensions.

ICTUR called upon the authorities to give urgent priority to ratification of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 and to bringing national law and practice into compliance in order to protect fundamental rights. ICTUR noted that Bahrain has made considerable progress towards recognising trade union rights in recent years and called on the authorities to ensure that national law and practice should reflect international standards.

Updated: April 2008

Bangladesh
On 24 January in Dhaka the Bangladesh Intelligence Service arrested Mr Mehedi Hasan, an investigator for the US labour monitoring organisation the Worker Rights Consortium. Some miles away at Dhaka airport the Intelligence Service also arrested Mr Bent Gehrt, the WRC’s South East Asia Field Director, who was about to board a flight. The two men were questioned about their activities in Bangladesh by intelligence officials who were apparently already well aware of the work they had been carrying out. Mr Gehrt, a Danish national, was released after one hour but Mr Hasan, a Bangladeshi national, was remanded in custody for ‘interrogation’ for 11 days.

ICTUR has written to the authorities to protest over the arrest and interrogation of labour monitoring professionals. ICTUR pointed out that the WRC is a well-established and well-respected organisation and that the harassment of people involved in investigating labour rights violations constitutes a violation of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, 1998.

Updated: April 2008

China
On 6 March up to one thousand armed riot police dispersed a peaceful demonstration of 3-4000 workers outside the Casio Electronics Factory in Guangzhou, Guangdong. According to the ITUC, twenty workers were injured when the police broke up the demonstration. Also in Guangzhou, ITUC reported that it appeared likely that 13 workers arrested after protests at a shoe factory would face criminal charges.

ITUC has written to the authorities in Guangdong calling for them to recognise that labour disputes revolving around legitimate industrial grievances should be handled within the civil rather than criminal legal frameworks. ICTUR called on the authorities to observe fundamental human rights principles and to ensure that workers’ representatives should not be punished for exercising their rights to freedom of association and for organising demonstrations in support of their rights.

Updated: April 2008

Egypt
On 6 April security forces dispersed a national strike called by independent labour activists and political opposition groups. At least two hundred textile workers were arrested in the town of Al-Mahala El Kobra, and at least 50 in Cairo. Further arrests were made in Alexandria, Mansoura and Mahala, and police prevented a rally in Tahrir Square, Cairo.

ICTUR has written to the authorities to call for improvements to the policing of labour rallies and reminded the authorities that the rights of freedom of association and assembly are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Updated: April 2008

Equatorial Guinea
Two Chinese construction workers were reported killed and four others injured during a labour dispute in Mongomo in April. State security forces cracked down violently after striking Chinese contract workers set up a picket outside the construction site in a dispute over working conditions. It was reported that the Chinese authorities chartered flights to withdraw 400 construction workers from Equatorial Guinea in the wake of the incident. Trade union rights are severely repressed in the country and unions cannot operate in practice.

ICTUR has written to Equatorial Guinea’s embassy in London calling upon the authorities to conduct an investigation into the police actions with immediate effect. ICTUR described the use of lethal force against labour demonstrations as an extremely serious violation of international human rights principles. ICTUR reminded the authorities that Equatorial Guinea has signed up to both ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

Updated: April 2008

Guatemala
On 2 March Miguel Angle Ramirez, a local leader of the banana workers’ union SITRABANSUR, was shot dead by unknown assailants. Just four weeks earlier the daughter of the General Secretary of SITRABANSUR was raped by armed men. Since July 2007 when SITRABANSUR was founded at the ‘Olga Maria’ plantation the unions members have been harassed by private security guards working for the plantation owners. In September 2007 the leader of another banana workers’ union SITRABI was shot and killed.

ICTUR has written to the authorities to express grave concern at the horrific violence perpetrated against SITRABANSUR leaders and their families. ICTUR called for the authorities to investigate these cases and to cooperate with international agencies including the ILO and with international trade unions in seeking to improve the labour rights situation.

Updated: April 2008

Iran
On 17 March the former leader of the Saqez Bakers’ Union Mahmoud Salehi was summoned to appear before the Sanandaj Courts. International trade unions and human rights NGOs feared that new charges were being prepared against him that might be used to continue his detention past his scheduled release from prison on 23 March. Salehi was approaching the end of a one-year prison term imposed on him following his involvement in organising May Day demonstrations. On 6 April, two weeks past his scheduled release date, Salehi was eventually released.

In December the Provincial Appeal Court of Kurdistan returned its verdict in an ongoing legal process in which a number of labour activists and trade unionists were attempting to challenge the sentences of imprisonment originally handed out to them following their arrest at May Day demonstrations. Several sentences were overturned and replaced with fines and lashes.

ICTUR has written to the authorities calling for Iran to cease harassing labour activists, to make legal provision for trade union activities, and to ratify ILO Convention 87 at the earliest opportunity. ICTUR noted that trade union rights are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other fundamental human rights instruments.

Updated: April 2008

Jordan
On 19 February 176 Vietnamese migrant workers were violently assaulted at the W&D Apparel factory in the Al Tajamouat Industrial Estate, Aman. The workers were striking against conditions which included pay far lower than that which had been promised, working days of up to 16 hours, and confiscation of passports. The Taiwanese employers’ first responded to the strike by cutting off food to the strikers and offering pay increases to the most productive workers. This resulted in the return of a minority of workers. The heavy-handed police intervention occurred on the ninth day of the strike, leaving many of the strikers bruised and shaken.

ICTUR has written to the authorities calling for an investigation into the events surrounding the W&D Apparel strike. ICTUR has asked the authorities to investigate claims of confiscated passports and to examine the discrepancies between the working conditions that were promised to the migrant workers in Vietnam and the reality that awaited them in Jordan. ICTUR has further called on the authorities to ensure that the right to strike should be protected in Jordan and that policing of strikes should be peaceful.

Updated: April 2008

Panama
On 12 February Hiromi Smith, a member of the construction worker’s trade union SUNTRACS, was shot and killed by police when they clashed with a union demonstration calling for improvements to construction health and safety in Panama. Smith is the third member of SUNTRACS to be killed during trade union demonstrations in the past six months.

ICTUR has written to the authorities to express grave concern at the recent deaths of SUNTRACS activists and to insist upon urgent improvements to the policing of labour rallies. ICTUR reminded the authorities of their obligation to protect trade union rights under the terms of ILO Conventions 87 and 98, both of which have been ratified by Panama.

Updated: April 2008

Philippines
On 10 March labour activist Gerry Cristobal was shot and killed in what police have described as a ‘traffic altercation’. International labour rights organisations have demanded a full investigation, pointing out that there had been two previous attempts against Cristobal’s life and that, as a leader with the NGO labour alliance ‘Solidariy of Cavite Workers’, he was at particular risk given a string of murders and violence against leaders of the organisation over recent years.

ICTUR has written to the authorities calling for a full investigation to be carried out into the murder of Gerry Cristobal, drawing attention to the recent UN human rights investigation that took place in the Philippines, and to a recent stuffy produced by Amnesty International which indicated that labour leaders are at profound risk of violence. Both the UN and Amnesty reports identified substantial failings in the rigour of police investigations into human rights violations against labour activists.

Updated: April 2008

Russia
Five demonstrators participating in an IUF-organised international solidarity demonstration outside a Marks and Spencer store in central Moscow were arrested on 6 March and charged with violating the law on public meetings. The IUF campaigners were showing support for British members of UNITE in a dispute with Marks and Spencer.

ICTUR has written to the authorities calling for them to respect the right of the IUF campaigners to engage in peaceful protest. ICTUR reminded the authorities of the fundamental status of the rights to association, assembly and expression, pointing to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ICTUR further noted that under terms of Convention 87 of the ILO, which has been ratified by Russia, arrests for trade union activities are particularly serious violations of freedom of association.

Updated: April 2008

Turkey
In December all 400 workers at the Yörsan Dairy company in Susurluk-Balikesir were sacked after resisting a three-month anti-union campaign by management. During the struggle one member of the TEKGIDA-Is union was kidnapped and threatened. The employer also attacked the union in two major national newspapers.

Over the first three months of 2008 the Bosal Mimaysan vehicle parts manufacturer has waged a campaign to coerce workers into leaving their union Birleşik Metal-Is. The manufacturer apparently promoted membership of another union as an alternative.

On 27 February shipyard workers’ union Limiter-Is called a strike to protest at working conditions in the Tuzla shipyard, where more than 18 workers had been killed in the preceding 18 months. Within an hour of the strike commencing, police had cracked down heavily on the strikers, arresting 70 people including the Limiter-Is President and General Secretary.

ICTUR has written to the authorities to protest at these anti-union actions. ICTUR called for the authorities to investigate the claims of intimidation, kidnapping and coercion at Yörsan Dairy and Bosal Mimaysa, and to examine the policing methods used at the Tuzla shipyard. ICTUR called on the authorities to recognise that the above cases comprised serious violations of ILO Convention 87, which has been ratified by Turkey, and reminded the authorities that trade union rights are also protected under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Updated: April 2008

US
Legal staff at the Minnesota Attorney General’s office seeking union representation have been summoned to captive audience meetings where they were lectured on why they should vote against recognition of the AFSCME. Small groups of attorneys were then called upon sign statements in the presence of supervisors saying that they were not calling for recognition of the union. Amy Lawler, an attorney coordinating the campaign for union representation, has since been placed on administrative leave.

ICTUR has written to Attorney General Lori Swanson expressing concern at the recent events in particular the suspension of a union organiser at the height of a recognition campaign. ICTUR has called upon the Attorney General’s office to respect trade union rights, to re-instate union organiser Amy Lawler, and to ensure that staff attorneys can exercise their rights to freedom of association.

Updated: April 2008

UAE
Forty-five Indian construction workers have been sentenced to six month prison terms for holding ‘illegal gatherings, vandalism, and violating public security’ following their participation in a strike over working conditions in the industry. The judge in the case apparently wanted to send a strong message to workers who resort to ‘illegal’ methods to defend working conditions. In UAE there remain major barriers to legal campaigns for workers’ rights, not least of which are the formal bans on trade unions and collective bargaining.

ICTUR has written to the authorities calling for an urgent intervention in this case. ICTUR pointed out that migrant workers in UAE are deprived of lawful channels for representation and bargaining at work, and suggested that this in itself created public order problems: since demonstrations could not be organised lawfully and professionally any demonstrations that did take place would be unlawful and workers’ frustrations would lack coherent frameworks for their peaceful expression. ICTUR called upon the authorities to give urgent priority to ratification of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 and to bringing national law and practice into compliance in order to protect fundamental rights.

Updated: April 2008

Zimbabwe
On the night of 17 April Matthew Takaona, President of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, was attacked by robbed by individuals dressed in national army uniforms. Two days earlier, on 15 April, the former secretary general of the ZUJ, Luke Tamborinyoka, was arrested without charge and held in police custody.

ICTUR wrote to express grave concern over these acts and called on the authorities to undertake a thorough investigation. ICTUR reminded the authorities that trade union rights are protected under the African Charter, and that harassment of trade union leaders is a serious violation of the rights protected under ILO Convention 87.

Updated: April 2008

Belarus
The offices of the Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP were raided by police on the evening of 6 December, union equipment and documents were sealed and / or confiscated, and that number of youth activists were arrested. The arrested youths were subsequently released, only to be called on later to appear in court on charges of ‘hooliganism’.

ICTUR has written to remind the authorities that interference in the activities of a trade union, harassment and arrests of union activists, and the confiscation of union documents and equipment constitute serious violations of freedom of association. Belarus is obliged to respect these rights as a matter of international law under the terms of ILO Convention 87, which it has ratified.

Updated: January 2008

Brasil
On 12 October Aparecido Galvão, President of the construction workers’ union CONTICOM CUT was shot and killed outside São Paulo. The murderers had pursued Galvão at high speed in two cars before pulling alongside his vehicle and firing the fatal shots. Earlier that day the union reported that Galvão had photographed workers at a building site that violated health and safety standards. A union colleague commented that Galvão had received several threats from building contractors.

On 21 October a group of 40 armed men attacked peasant farmers from the Landless Workers Movement (MST) at a plantation owned by Campamento Tierra Libre that the MST had occupied. Valmir Mota de Oliveira, a landless worker, was murdered by the armed mob.

ICTUR has written to the authorities calling for investigations to be launched into both cases. ICTUR urged the authorities to consult with the construction union and MST and to fully investigate the role of companies and landowners in relation to the murders. ICTUR emphasized that Brasil is bound to respect and protect freedom of association under the terms of the ILO constitution and the Declaration of Fundamental Principles of 1998.

Updated: January 2008

Burma / Myanmar
U Tin Hla and his family were arrested and taken into detention at Mingala Taungyunt police station on 20 September. U Tin Hla was accused of organising railway workers and encouraging them to join rallies. He was also accused of possessing cables and tools and photographs of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. His family were released after five days, but information received by ICTUR suggested that U Tin Hla had been kept in detention.

ICTUR wrote to the authorities to argue that neither U Tin Hla’s possession of tools necessary to conduct his work nor possession of photographs of a Nobel Peace Prize winner are sufficient grounds for interfering with his human rights. ICTUR further emphasised that the organisation of railway workers, if this indeed took place, would also be perfectly legal under the terms of international law. ICTUR further emphasised that under the terms of ILO Convention 87, which has been ratified by Myanmar, the authorities are required to protect that right. ICTUR called upon the authorities to engage fully with the international process that is taking place within the International Labour Organisation, to release all persons currently detained because of their labour organising activities, and to work towards a resolution of the issues that have kept the country subject to ILO scrutiny in recent years.

Updated: January 2008

China
On 20 November, two unidentified people violently attacked the Shenzhen Dagongzhe Migrant Worker Centre, smashing windows and disturbing the offices, and violently assaulted Huang Qingnan, an employee of the Centre, who is now in a serious condition in hospital as a result of his injuries.

ICTUR has written to the Mayor of Shenzhen calling for the case to be fully investigated and insisting that those responsible should be brought to justice.

Updated: January 2008

Georgia
On 25 October five trade unionists were dismissed from the port of Poti. Vaxtnag Tirkia; Mamuka Shengelia; Giorgi Ghurgia; Xvicha Gogia; and Sergo Tirkia were all dismissed following a workplace meeting held outside management quarters during an official break, at which the workers presented a list of union priorities for a forthcoming restructuring process. Following the dismissals, the union chairman’s office was sealed and he was denied access to the port.

ICTUR has written to remind the authorities of their obligation to protect the rights of trade unionists, and has called for the authorities to ensure that they provide appropriate remedies for victims of anti-union discrimination as they are required to do under the terms of ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have been ratified by Georgia.

Updated: January 2008

Guatemala
On 31 December, while union leader Carlos Enrique Mancilla Garcia and his family were out celebrating, a group of unknown assailants carried out a heavily armed attack on his home. Carlos Mancilla, Labour and Disputes Secretary with the trade union centre CUSG, had just been appointed by the union to follow-up on the murder of fellow trade unionist Marco Tulio Ramirez Portela, the leader of the banana workers’ union SITRABI.

ICTUR has written to the authorities to protest at the lack of progress in investigating recent violations of labour rights and to urge the authorities to take up seriously their responsibility to protect the rights of trade unionists to carry out their activities in safety.

Updated: January 2008

India
The bodies of two local leaders of an autorickshaw union, Satender Hooda and Neeraj Dahiya, were discovered in a burnt-out office at Jhajjar road in Rohtak on 9 December. According to local media reports, the fire appeared to have been set after the men had been killed, in an attempt to destroy evidence.

ICTUR wrote to the authorities calling on them to ensure that this case is fully investigated and that those responsible should be brought to justice.

Updated: January 2008

Iran
Reza Dehghan, a member of the Founding Committee of Painters Union (Syndica Nagash) was arrested on 18 November and was held in detention for at least a further 12 days at Evin Prison. ICTUR has received no further information concerning Mr Dehghan and remains gravely concerned by the situation. ICTUR is not aware of the grounds of Mr Dehghan’s arrest, but the ITUC has suggested that he is being persecuted for his trade union activity.

A number of other trade unionists remained in detention in Iran, most notably Mansour Osanloo, Mahmoud Salehi and Ebrahim Madadi.

On 27 November, it was reported that lawyers working for Mansour Osanloo and other members of the Syndica Sherkat-e Vahed had tendered their resignation to the court.

ICTUR has called on the authorities to recognise that the arrest and detention of trade unionists is a serious violation of freedom of association. ICTUR urges the authorities to recognise that under the terms of the ILO Declaration of Fundamental Principles Iran is bound to respect the rights of freedom of association. ICTUR further expressed concern for the resignation of trade union lawyers from the Syndica Sherkat-e Vahed and urged the authorities to guarantee access to lawyers.

Updated: January 2008

Mexico
In October more than one hundred workers were dismissed from the Vaqueros Navarra factory in Tehuacan following their expressions of support for an independent union at the factory. The factory produces garments for leading US clothing brands, and the case has been taken up by campaign groups seeking to promote greater respect for labour standards by US companies in their operations outside the US.

ICTUR has written to the authorities expressing its concern regarding the apparent anti-union basis for the mass dismissals. ICTUR expressed concern for the job security of other workers at the plant and insisted upon their right to participate freely in the activities of trade unions of their own choosing. ICTUR reminded the authorities of their obligation to protect trade union rights in accordance with ILO Convention 87, which Mexico has ratified.

Updated: January 2008

Nigeria
On 6 January Alhaji Saula Saka, Lagos State Chairman of the road transport workers’ union NURTW, was assassinated at his home, according to witness four men carried out the shooting. Local media reported that within a few days at least one arrest had been made in connection with the murder, and that various people had been called to help police with their inquiries.

ICTUR has written to the President of Nigeria to express its grave concern at the murder of a trade union leader. ICTUR reminded the authorities of the requirement under the ILO Conventions and the African Charter to protect freedom of association and the rights of trade unionists to carry out their activities. ICTUR called for a full investigation of this case.

Updated: January 2008

South Korea
On 21 November 15 trade unionists from the Korean Government Employees Union were arrested and taken into detention. 12 were arrested on the morning of 21 November during a sit-in protest at the Dongan-gu office building. Three others, including KGEU President Son Young Tae, were arrested later that day.

In a separate incident the leaders of the migrant workers trade union President Kajiman; Vice President Raju; and General Secretary Masum were arrested, at separate times and locations, on 27 November.

ICTUR has called on the authorities to recognise that the arrest and detention of trade unionists is a serious violation of freedom of association. ICTUR urged the authorities to respect that under the terms of membership of the ILO and under the Declaration of Fundamental Principles of the ILO Korea is bound to respect these principles.

Updated: January 2008

Pakistan
Several trade unionists were arrested and held in detention for a period of 18 days during the recent state of emergency:

Rana Ayub Aki Khan, Deputy General Secretary of the WAPDA labour union, together with four colleagues;
Liaquat Ali Sahi, a union leader from the State Bank of Pakistan;
Ghulam Fareed Awan, Assistant General Secretary of the All-Pakistan Trade Union Federation;
Ayub Qureshi, a member of the Pakistan Trade Union Federation

ICTUR has written to remind the authorities of the legal obligation to respect freedom of association as an international human right. ICTUR noted that the arrest and detention (even briefly) of a trade unionist constitutes a serious violation of the ILO’s key conventions on freedom of association, which Pakistan has ratified.

Updated: January 2008

UAE
As many as 4500 migrant workers were arrested and briefly detained after participating in a strike. Some of the strikers were reported to have thrown stones at police after police attempted to disperse the demonstration. Emirates’ Labour Minister called the strikers “uncivilised” and described their actions as a threat to national security, but the authorities denied that workers had been arrested because of their participation in strike action, citing the stone throwing as the reason for the arrests. Trade unions are illegal in UAE but in recent years migrant workers have organised (unlawful) mass demonstrations in protest at poor working conditions.

ICTUR has written to the UAE authorities to express concern at the mass arrests of workers. In its letter ICTUR argued that the authorities must introduce freedom of association and assembly and permit the establishment of legal trade unions. ICTUR urged the authorities to recognise that the lawful operation of trade unions and collective bargaining would provide more effective mechanisms for the resolution of workplace grievances.

Updated: January 2008

UK
UNISON activist Karen Reissmann was suspended on 15 June 2007 after speaking out against a policy of cuts and privatization that she believed was being pursued by her employer Manchester Health and Social Care Trust. Ms. Reissmann was then dismissed on 5 November 2007.

ICTUR has written to remind the Manchester Health and Social Care Trust of its obligation to respect international labour laws that have been ratified by the UK, specifically ILO Conventions 87 and 98. ICTUR noted that trade unionists should not be subject to any detriment or dismissal due to their trade union activities.

Manchester Health and Social Care Trust responded to ICTUR’s letter, saying that the case was a ‘private employment matter’ and ‘should not attract comment’.

Updated: January 2008

Argentina
On 4 April teacher Carlos Fuebtalba was killed after being struck by a teargas bomb fired at extremely close range by police against participants in a teachers’ demonstration. The teachers were protesting in support of a wage claim, which had been approved at national level but which was not being applied locally.

On 25 April the house of the ATEN teaching union General Secretary Marcelo Guagliardo was attacked by a group of unidentified assailants. The attack was carried out during negotiations on teachers’ salaries.

On 9 May twelve people, including Pedro Biott, Secretary of the municipal workers’ union, were injured when police using tear gas and rubber bullets attacked a wages demonstration.

ICTUR called for the authorities to investigate the killing of Carlos Fuebtalba and to deal appropriately with those responsible. ICTUR has also called for Argentina to review its policies for police intervention in industrial disputes, urging for a more peaceful approach to be mandated by the authorities. ICTUR has further requested an investigation into the attack on the house of the ATEN leader. ICTUR recalled that the principles of freedom of association are protected by ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have both been ratified by Argentina.

Updated: July 2007

Burma / Myanmar
On May Day, the ITUC reported, 20 workers were arrested after attending the ‘American Centre’ in Rangoon to study the history of the workers’ movement and May Day. ITUC also reported that several women workers from the Rangoon textile sector were arrested, although they were released that same day. The ITUC expressed grave concern for the safety of Thu Rein Aung, Kyaw Kyaw, Wai Lin and Shwe Gyo, four workers who continued to be kept in detention.

ICTUR has written to remind the authorities that trade union rights are protected under the fundamental instruments of international human rights law. ICTUR called for the arrested workers to be released and for the authorities to increase their cooperation with the International Labour Organisation to bring about an end to the labour rights violations in the country.

Updated: July 2007

Chad
On 27 May the passport of Mr Djibrine Assali, General Secretary of the UST trade union centre, was confiscated preventing his attendance at the International Labour Conference in Geneva

On 5 June, the Labour Exchange was stormed by the police, and the entrance barricaded, in an attempt to end a public sector strike. Police officers also occupied the Chadian Teacher’s Union and denied workers access to the building. In Bongor it was reported that the Nomad Guard fired shots at demonstrating workers and students.

ICTUR has written to remind the authorities that the right to strike and to freedom of association are protected under ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have both been ratified by Chad. The rights protected therein are further guaranteed to the peoples of the world under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Updated: July 2007

Chile
On 3 May Rodrigo Alexis Cisternas was shot three times and killed when police fired on strikers outside the Bosques Arauco SA plant in Los Horcones, Concepcion. Workers had been involved in difficult negotiations since March, which the local governor claimed had ‘failed’. Following this claim, the workers blocked roads and mounted a protest in support of their claims. When police used ‘unprecedented violence’ to repress the strike, the 26-year old sub-contractor was shot and killed.

ICTUR called for the authorities to investigate the killing of Rodrigo Alexis Cisternas and to deal appropriately with those responsible. ICTUR has also called for Chile a to review its policies for police intervention in industrial disputes, urging for a more peaceful approach to be mandated by the authorities. ICTUR recalled that the principles of freedom of association are protected by ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have both been ratified by Chile.

Updated: July 2007

China
In Macao police fired shots into the air to disperse a May Day demonstration where protestors were calling for access to jobs and improved workers’ rights.

ICTUR has written to remind the authorities that the right of workers to organize in defence of their social and economic rights, and the right to express their demands, are guaranteed to the peoples of the world under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Updated: July 2007

Egypt
On 22 April police police forced the closure of the headquarters of the Centre for Trade Union and Workers Services (CTUWS) in Helwan, Cairo on the basis of an administrative order issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Two other branches of the organisation (Naj-Hamadi and Mahalla city) have previously been closed down by the local authorities.

ICTUR called for the authorities to put an end to all forms of harassment against CTUWS. ICTUR called for the authorities to permit the NGO to re-open its headquarters in Cairo, and its two offices in Naj-Hamadi and Mahalla. ICTUR considers the forced closure of the premises of an NGO dedicated to the promotion of labour rights to be incompatible with the internationally respected principles of freedom of association. ICTUR reminds the authorities that Egypt has ratified ILO, Conventions 87 and 98.

Updated: July 2007

Ethiopia
The International Centre for Trade Union Rights (ICTUR) writes with concern following reports of the arrest of three teacher members of the Ethiopian Teachers' Association (ETA).
On 30 May, two members of the Ethiopian Teachers' Association (ETA) Antene Getnet, Meqcha Mengistu, together with Mrs. Azmera Shiferaw, the wife of ETA member Tilahun Ayalew, were arrested and taken into custody. ICTUR understands that, earlier in the year, Meqcha Mengistu and Antene Getnet, along with one other member of ETA, had already been arrested without charge and detained for three months by government authorities. ICTUR is also reliably informed that ETA has been facing persecution by government agents for some years.

ICTUR considers the arbitrary arrest and detainment of trade union members a serious violation of internationally respected principles of freedom of association and has called on the authorities to guarantee respect of these principles. ICTUR reminds the authorities that trade union rights are protected under the fundamental instruments of international human rights law, including ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have both been ratified by Ethiopia.

Updated: July 2007

Iraq
On 5 June the Iraqi military surrounding striking pipeline company oilworkers in Basra. Over the following days the situation remained tense as the strike continued and arrest warrants were issued for the union’s leadership. The union had previously met with the Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki on 16 May and had some success in pushing forward their concerns, but delays in implementation and a failure to release delayed benefits led to the calling of strike action. On 11 June the strike ended with the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions, led by Hassan Jumaa Awad, claiming a successful resolution of their grievances.

ICTUR has written to the authorities calling for the withdrawal of military involvement in the resolution of industrial disputes. ICTUR reminded the authorities that trade union rights are guaranteed to the peoples of the world under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Furthermore, Iraq has ratified ILO Convention 98 which requires the authorities to promote machinery to assist with the collective bargaining process.

Updated: July 2007

Liberia
On 27 April riot police wielding clubs fired tear gas and attacked a picket line established by workers at the Firestone Rubber plantation in Harbel. The police attack occurred three days into the strike, and preceded a ballot of the six thousand plantation workers to chose between two trade unions.

ICTUR has written to the authorities to complain about the violent repression of strike action. The use of violent means to repress strike action is a serious violation of the principles of freedom of association, which Liberia has agreed to respect by virtue of its ratification of ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

Updated: July 2007

Mexico
On 15 May Isidoro Pío Ortiz, an activist and member of an independent import and packing workers’ union seeking support and recognition at a factory in Ecatepec, Mexico State, was briefly abducted. During this time he was beaten and threatened with death. Last year members of the same union were attacked by a group of 200 hired thugs during the run up to the union elections at the factory.

ICTUR has written to the authorities, calling upon them to investigate the intimidation of members of the rival union which is seeking recognition at the factory. ICTUR has emphasised that it is the responsibility of the State to ensure that workers can exercise their rights to be represented by the organisation of their choosing in freedom from harassment or intimidation. ICTUR recalls that Mexico has ratified ILO Convention 87.

Updated: July 2007

Nepal
On 29 April Sarjeet Tamang, a leader of the Building and Construction Workers’ union, was severely beaten by a gang of Maoists while he was preparing for a May Day event.

ICTUR has written to the authorities, calling upon them to investigate this case and emphasising that it is the responsibility of the State to protect trade unionists from violence and intimidation.

Updated: July 2007

Russia
On Thursday 7 June, Mikhail Chesalin, the Chairman of the local dockworkers’ union in Kaliningrad, was repeatedly stabbed in the back and beaten about the head outside the union’s offices by a group of assailants. He was left unconscious. The union is currently running an organising campaign at the Sea Commercial Port, where the local Director has been strongly opposed to the union for the past ten years, following a strike in 1997.

ICTUR has written to the authorities calling for an investigation into the attack. ICTUR reminded the authorities of their responsibility to protect trade unionists’ rights to go about their activities in freedom and security and of the responsibility of the State under ILO Convention 87 to secure those rights.

Updated: July 2007

South Africa
On 4 and 5 June the police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at striking nurses in Durban. Further reports indicated that police also used rubber bullets and teargas to disperse crowds of public sector strikers at government offices in Nelspruit. PSI reported that hundreds of nurses were sent letters purporting to dismiss them from their jobs As many as 700,000 public sector workers have been on strike to demand wage increases, pointing out that Members of Parliament have just granted themselves large increases.

ICTUR considers the use of such repressive measures to be a serious violation of internationally respected principles of freedom of association. ICTUR called on the authorities to improve the policing of trade union protests to ensure that these principles are respected in full. ICTUR reminded the authorities that trade union rights and the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association are protected under the fundamental instruments of international human rights law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ICTUR recalls that the principles of freedom of association are protected by ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have both been ratified by South Africa.

Updated: July 2007

Turkey
On 4 April 11 Executive Committee members from trade unions affiliated to the KESK public sector federation were sentenced to one year and three months imprisonment together with a fine, imposed for violating Law 2911 on public meetings and demonstrations.

The leaders who received the sentences are:

Dr. Ismail Hakki Tombul, KESK Preisdent;
Mr Alaaddin Dinçer, President of Egitem Sen;
Mr Bülent Kaya, former President of BES;
Mr Köksal Aydin, President of SES;
Mr Bedri Tekin, President of YAPI YOL Sen;
Mr Fehmi Kutan, former President of BTS;
Mr Emirali Simsek, Secretary General of Egitem Sen;
Mr Őzgür Bozdogan, President of Ankara branch of Egitem Sen, No. 1;
Mr Abdullah Çiftçi, President of Ankara branch of Egitem Sen, No. 2;
Mr Erkan Sümer, SES Secretary General;
Mr Murat Kaharaman, Executive Committee member of Ankara branch of Egitem Sen, No. 1;

The sentences against nine of the eleven were suspended, although those against Ismail Hakki Tombul and Fehmi Kutan have not been suspended. If their sentences are confirmed by the Higher Court of Appeal they will be sent to prison.

The prosecutions date back to a demonstration led by Egitem Sen in Ankara on 26 November 2005, which was forcibly repressed by police. Seventeen teachers were injured during the break up of the demonstration.

- On 1 May several trade union leaders were arrested along with 600 people at a rally in Istanbul. Police used gas and batons to prevent the demonstration converging on Taksim Square.

ICTUR has written to the authorities to protest in the strongest terms against the arrest and sentencing of trade unionists, recalling that Turkey is obliged to respect trade union rights under ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have both been ratified by Turkey, as has the European Convention of Human Rights which also protects trade union rights.

Updated: July 2007

Uganda
The Labour Disputes Amendment Bill 2006 is currently being considered by parliament, and contains proposals that would prohibit the right to strike among public service workers, and make them liable to a prison sentence of six months or a fine.

ICTUR reminded the authorities that the right to strike is a fundamental right of workers and of their organisations and is protected under ILO Convention 87, which has been ratified by Uganda. ICTUR noted that the restrictions being contemplated under the Bill would exceed the minor exceptions to the right to strike that are permitted by the jurisprudence of the ILO’s Freedom of Association Committee.

Updated: July 2007

Zimbabwe
MacDonald Mangauzani, National Treasurer of the Progressive Teachers’ Union, died at the end of May from serious internal injuries that Education International says were sustained during his detention in police custody in February.

ICTUR has written to express grave concern for the welfare of the members and leaders of the Progressive Teachers’ Union and to remind the authorities that trade union rights are protected under the African Charter. Harassment, violence and arrests against trade unionists constitute serious violations of international respected human rights.

Updated: July 2007

Cambodia
Hy Vuthy, president of the Suntex garment factory branch of the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia, was shot dead while riding his motorbike home from the Suntex factory night shift in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao district on 24 February . The murder was reportedly committed by two men on a motorbike. Vuthy’s family have since been forced to flee their home after they were harassed by a gang of men on motorbikes.

Throughout the year, FTU representatives lobbied for improvements in employment conditions, particularly relating to contract periods. During this period vicious assaults were carried out against seven FTU activists.

Hy Vuthy is the third FTUWKC official to be killed in three years.

ICTUR has written to the authorities calling for an adequately-resourced independent inquiry into the spate of violence against trade union activists and for proper protection against such threats to be provided to trade unionists in the future.

Further to the investigation of these murders, ICTUR recalls that the international trade union community is seriously concerned by the continuing detention of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, who were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the murder of FTUWKC leader Chea Vichea in 2004. Trade unions expressed grave doubts at the time over the sentencing of these two individuals, suggesting that they were not the guilty parties. Unions are now calling for an urgent appeal hearing, and ICTUR supported this call in its communication with the authorities.

Updated: April 2007

Colombia
On 30 January, two days after the formation of a new trade union at the Exportaciones Bohica SA flower company, the union president, treasurer and auditor all received written threats, signed by a paramilitary organisation, indicating that they would become ‘military targets’, unless they ceased their trade union activities. The manager of the company had previously stated that the company did not want a union. The company also reportedly organised a meeting which was attended by individuals in military uniform, at which workers were warned of the dangers of trade union activities in Colombia.

- In February Gonzalo Hernández, a member of the national executive committee of the mineworkers’ union SINTRAMINERCOL, was dismissed from his position at the state mining company MINERCOL Ltd. SINTRAMINERCOL is currently fighting against the ongoing privatisation process facing MINERCOL and the union has been subjected to a number of threats and acts of violence. Hernández was dismissed despite the protection for trade union officers that exists in Colombian labour law.

- On 3 February in Sardinata Norte de Santander Department, an explosion at a coal mine left 32 workers dead. Just three days later, in Gamaza, Boyacá, an explosion in another coal mine left eight workers dead. One of those killed in the second explosion was a child.

- On 7 February Carmen Cecilia Santana Romaña, a national officer with the agricultural workers’ union SINTRAINAGRO, was shot and killed in her home in Apartado, Antioquia. Mrs Santana was a 28 year old mother of three children. Her former husband was also a victim of the death squads.

ICTUR has written to call for protection to be issued to the flower workers’ union, and to call for an investigation to be issued into the threats received by the union’s officers. ICTUR further protested against the assassination of Carmen Cecilia Santana Romaña, to call for the reinstatement of Gonzalo Hernández, and registered concern for the safety of Colombian mineworkers. ICTUR protested against the employment of a child in a dangerous industry, advising that this was contrary to ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour.

ICTUR also called for the authorities to take action to end the climate of impunity for the perpetrators of violence against trade unionists. Further information about ICTUR’s work on labour rights in Colombia will be published in the ICTUR Colombia Bulletin in April (see: www.ictur.org/Colombia.htm).

Updated: April 2007

Guatemala
On 15 January Pedro Zamora Álvarez, General Secretary of the Guatemalan dockers’ union STEPQ, was murdered by multiple assailants who ambushed him while he was with his children. During the attack, in which 100 bullets were fired at Álvarez, one of his young children was injured. Since the murder, other STEPQ leaders and their families have received death threats.

- On 6 February Walter Aníbal Ixcaquic Mendoza and Norma Sente de Ixcaquic, members of the market traders’ union Frente Nacionale de Vendedores de Guatemala, were murdered by unknown assailants.

ICTUR has written to protest against the murders, calling the for authorities to set up effective and independent investigations into these crimes, and to take action to protect trade unionists against further violations.

The ITUC recently described Guatemala as ‘a country where there is no rule of law, where the vilest of crimes are committed with total impunity, and where the public powers responsible for resolving them do nothing to ensure respect for the law’. ICTUR recently examined the situation in ‘Guatemala: union rights are critical’ (IUR 13.3, pages 6-7).

Updated: April 2007

Guinea
On 22 January the authorities cracked down violently on trade union-organised protests, leading to the deaths of more than twenty people. The unions’ offices were also ransacked, and several union leaders suffered injuries. Dozens of others were arrested. Throughout the month, trade unions had led popular outcry against the government’s failure to honour the agreements that brought the 2006 general strike to an end. Public unrest was further fuelled by hyperinflation, by ‘gross irregularities’ in the management of public funds, and the interference of the President in judicial affairs to secure the release from prison of the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank

On 27 January an agreement brought the strike to an end, meeting several union demands around key social, economic and governance issues (including a guarantee to promote the separation of powers), but unions took to the streets again when the President appointed a close ally (but an unpopular figure) as Prime Minister.

On 12 February the country was placed under curfew which lasted until 23 February. In a key development at the end of February, which appears to have ended the crisis, President Lansana Conté appointed Lansana Kouyaté as Prime Minister with extended powers. Kouyaté was one of the names proposed by the trade unions, and has been described by ITUC as ‘an experienced diplomat’.

ICTUR wrote to denounce the appalling levels of violence and called for deep and direct political engagement by the authorities with trade unions in unconditional, frank and sincere negotiations in order to bring about a solution to the crisis.

ICTUR called for the authorities to ensure that all of those arrested simply on the grounds of their participation in the rallies to be immediately and unconditionally released. ICTUR further expressed serious concern over the arrests and for the scale and extent of police violence against demonstrators, and called for the authorities to instruct the police and armed forces to use restraint and non-violent methods to police the demonstrations.

ICTUR reminded the authorities that trade union rights and the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association are protected under the fundamental instruments of international human rights law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ICTUR recalled that the principles of freedom of association are protected by ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have both been ratified by Guinea.

Updated: April 2007

Iraq
In January, militia groups attacked trade unionists in a series of murders and kidnappings, according to reports from the ICEM:

On 11 January: in a targeted attack, eight engineers who were travelling to a FWCUI press conference were abducted when their vehicle was attacked. Four of the victims were released, another, Abdukareem Mahdi, was later found dead after being tortured, while three others (Nazar Fattah, Adil Yahia, and Ahmed Maulood) are missing, presumed dead.

- On 16 January: Mohammed Hameed, an organiser with the FWCUI, was among a group of 15 civilians who were randomly gunned down in a marketplace.

- During February, US forces in Iraq carried out a series of raids against trade union premises

- On 19 February: US soldiers raided the journalists’ union. According to reports from the International Federation of Journalists, which were confirmed by ICTUR’s correspondents in Iraq, the soldiers destroyed furniture, ransacked the offices, arrested state-employed security guards, and ‘confiscated’ 10 computers and 15 small electricity generators.

- On 23 February: a similar raid was carried out against the General Federation of Iraqi Workers, during which three security guards were arrested, the offices were ‘misused’ (to quote ICTUR’s correspondent, who visited the scene), and GFIW computers were taken. Again, US soldiers carried out the raid.

- On 25 February: the GFIW offices were attacked again by US soldiers.

ICTUR has written to the Iraqi authorities calling for an investigation into the kidnapping and murder of trade unionists, and urging the authorities to take action to protect trade unionists from further attacks. ICTUR also wrote to the US President - in relation to the raids carried out by US soldiers - to protest against the repression of trade union rights in the strongest terms, and called for the issuing of a formal apology, the release of all persons detained for reasons related to their involvement in trade union activities, the return of computers and all other assets confiscated during the raids, and for appropriate compensation to be given to the trade unions.

ICTUR reminded the authorities that trade union rights are protected under the fundamental instruments of international human rights law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ILO Declaration of Fundamental Principles.

Updated: April 2007

Mexico
Enrique Rueda Pacheco, a member of the teachers’ union SNTE in Oaxaca, was arrested on 7 December 2006, along with two local human rights activists, after speaking out against continuing human rights violations in the region (see: Interventions, IUR 13.3).

ICTUR has written to remind the regional authorities of the important role that trade unions play as representative, grass roots organisations of civil society. ICTUR called for Enrique Rueda Pacheco to be released from prison, and urged the authorities to seek a resolution to the problems in the region through dialogue with the trade unions, rather than by arresting their representatives.

Updated: April 2007

Palestinian Authority
A series of attacks were carried out in January against the offices Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions and against the private residences of one of its Deputy Secretary General, Mr Rasem Al Bayari. ICTUR understands that:

On 29 January: gunmen attacked Mr Al Bayari’s home, firing two rockets which partially destroyed the building.

- On 30 January: shots and bombs were again fired against Mr Al Bayari’s home. Mr Al Bayari and his family continued to live in the now wrecked property, with a minimal security presence.

- On 2 February: the PGFTU headquarters were attacked in the early hours of the morning. The main doors were bombed and the union’s radio station was burnt down.

ICTUR has written to the Palestinian Authority, calling upon it to guarantee the safety of all trade unionists, to urgently investigate these attacks, and to take action to protect and promote trade union rights. ICTUR reminded the Palestinian Authority that trade union rights are protected under the fundamental instruments of international human rights law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Updated: April 2007

Sri Lanka
A trade unionist was arrested and detained on 6 February, leading to popular protests the following day. The following day, the government announced that it was holding the trade unionist and two other men for interrogation. Subsequently posters were published in Colombo and elsewhere in the country that publicly labelled a number of trade unionists as covert insurgent operatives or terrorists. Those identified by the posters have experienced harassment and even death threats. Among those labelled in this way were the following trade unionists:

• Anton Marcus of the Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees Union;
• Sman Ratnapriya and Ravi Kumudesh of the Health Sector Trade Union Alliance;
• Sampath Rajitha and Raja Kannangara of the Joint Railway Trade Union Alliance; and
• Joseph Stalin of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union.

ICTUR called for the authorities to guarantee the safety of all trade unionists, to investigate the trade unions’ complaints, and to ensure that a just and lawful process would be followed to investigate allegations and to deal with those responsible for making threats or for other violations of the law. ICTUR recalled that the principles of freedom of association are protected by ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have both been ratified by Sri Lanka.

Updated: April 2007

Turkey
Ten ground staff, all members of the Hava-is union, were dismissed from Ankara Airport by Turkish Airlines just prior to collective bargaining negotiations. The union has described the action as an attempt to intimidate the workforce.

ICTUR has written to Turkish Airlines to remind the company that trade union rights are protected by ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which have both been ratified by Turkey, and under the European Convention of Human Rights.

Updated: April 2007

Zimbabwe
ICTUR understands that on 1 February, in the early hours of the morning, police raided the house of Raymond Majongwe, Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union. Mr Majongwe was not home at the time, but the officers harassed his wife. Later that month, on 28 February Mr Majongwe was arrested, following his role in organising industrial demonstrations to demand pay rises for the members of his union.

Mr Majongwe has been subject to numerous incidents of harassment in recent years, up to and including prosecution by the state, but he has not been convicted of any of the alleged offences.

- On 13 March the headquarters of the Zimbabwe trade union confederation ZCTU were raided and ransacked by government security forces. Three ZCTU staff members were assaulted, campaign materials were confiscated, and the organisation’s financial administrator, Galileo Chirebvu, was briefly taken into detention.

ICTUR has written to remind the authorities that trade union rights are protected under the African Charter, and that harassment and arrests of trade unionists and interference with their premises are serious violations of ILO Convention 87.

Updated: April 2007

Chile
Two weeks into their strike, miners at the world’s largest copper producer Minero Escondida blocked access roads to the mines in an attempt to prevent the company from bringing in replacement workers. Police forcibly intervened to re-open the roads, using water cannons.

ICTUR has written to the authorities to protest against what the miners described as indiscriminate use of force in clearing the blockades. ICTUR called for the police to respond appropriately to industrial protests and not to deploy violent methods.

Updated: October 2006