ITUC to launch annual rights survey

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is scheduled to launch its annual survey of trade union rights violations for 2012. The ITUC report will claims the situation faced by trade unionists across the world grew steadily worse in 2011. This year’s survey, which examines 143 countries, found that 76 trade unionists murdered in 2011, with thousands more dismissed and arrested. The Americas is still the most deadly region for trade unionists, while Arab Spring workers 'paid dearly as they marched towards democracy'. Colombia is once again the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists. Of the 76 people murdered for their trade union activities, not counting the workers killed during the Arab Spring, 29 lost their lives in Colombia. Trade unionists in Guatemala also paid a heavy price, with 10 assassinations committed with impunity. A further eight trade unionists were murdered in Asia. The worldwide trends highlighted in the survey include the non respect of labour legislation by governments, the lack of funding for labour inspection and workers’ protection, the lack of rights and the abuse faced by migrant workers throughout the world, particularly in the Gulf States, and the exploitation of the largely female workforce in the export processing zones around the globe, the survey shows. Among the most vulnerable are the 100 million domestic workers. The world economic crisis continued to impact unfairly on workers, as governments persisted in favouring austerity measures over stimulating growth and employment, says the ITUC survey.