Dramatic increase in the number of trade unionists murdered in 2009
Issued on June 17, 2010 at 03:21 PM
101 killings - an increase of 30% over the previous year
The International Trade Union Confederation's Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights has documented a dramatic increase in the number of trade unionists murdered in 2009, with 101 killings - an increase of 30% over the previous year. The Survey, released on the 9th of June, also reveals growing pressure on fundamental workers' rights around the world as the impact of the global economic crisis on employment deepened.
Of 101 murdered, 48 were killed in Colombia, 16 in Guatemala, 12 in Honduras, six in Mexico, six in Bangladesh, four in Brazil, three in the Dominican Republic, three in the Philippines, one in India, one in Iraq and one in Nigeria. Twenty-two of the Colombian trade unionists who were killed were senior trade union leaders and five were women, as the onslaught of previous years continued. The rise in violence in Guatemala and Honduras also followed a trend developing in recent years.
"Colombia was yet again the country where standing up for fundamental rights of workers is more likely than anywhere else to mean a death sentence, despite the Colombian government's public relations campaign to the contrary. The worsening situation in Guatemala, Honduras and several other countries is also cause for extreme concern," said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder.
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