Indonesia: ICFTU supports our solidarity campaign against PT. Musim Mas The latest information from our affiliate, DPP SP Kahutindo, reports that 700 workers from the district Pelalawan to Pkanbaru held a picket in front of the regional parliament. After lobbying meetings with the members of parliament, the union succeeded in having a commission hearing organised. However, in the parliament commission hearing, the company refused to negotiate and the workers were not called in. In the absence of workers representatives, the company issued a statement acknowledged by the chief district, chief regional department for manpower and the head of commission regional parliament of Riau, which states that "PT Musim Mas has implemented workers rights according to labour laws...The company accepted the official recommendation of the department for manpower for dismissal of the striking workers." In the last weeks, the IFBWW contributed some money from its international solidarity fund (ISF) and requested the ICFTU, the IUF and WWF support (end October) in order to put a wider pressure on the Indonesian Government. The ICFTU General Secretary met with the Indonesian Ministry of Labour who committed himself to pay special attention to the case. The national commission of human rights addressed to the Minister and regional chief for investigation on the possible human rights abuse in the PT Musim Mas strike. The regional human rights commission Riau is following up on this matter. Click here for additional background regarding this case.
Canada: USWA pushes for action from the provincial government of BC The Director of USWA District 3 just thanked the IFBWW for expressing solidarity with BC forest sector workers who have been killed on the job. The union reports that "the Government has allowed a significant increase in the level of contracting out in BC, as well as by imposing a collective agreement on forest workers that has led to extended shifts and less employer-paid travel time for workers who must go farther and farther into the bush to work on terrain that is increasingly steep. As well, the government has changed the Forest Act and brought in a new Forest and Range Parctices Act, both which increase employers' rights at the expense of the rights of workers." The Steelworkers will meet the BC minister of labour. Among their demands, more timely investigations of serious accidents, industry implementation committees with power to make binding recommendations, declare a day of mourning whenever there is a fatal accident to focus attention on the industry's unacceptably high number of fatalities. We will continue to keep you updated. For background info click here.
Pakistan: Earthquake
We have been monitoring the tremendous damage caused by the earthquake in India. In this connection, we wrote to our affiliates expressing our concern and extended our full support and solidarity.
Guatemala / El Salvador: Floods
We also extended support and solidarity to affiliates in both countries heavily affected by the floods.
ICFTU annual survey of trade union rights violations
145 people worldwide were killed due to their trade union activities in 2004, 16 more than the previous year. 700 violent attacks took place on trade unionists and nearly 500 death threats. The Americas stand out as the region with the highest number of murders and death threats. Once again Colombia was the deadliest country - 99 murders and hundreds of death threats. Asia-Pacific has the highest number behind bars. In the Middle East, 11 workers were killed due to their union activities. Several countries feature prominently in the survey, including Belarus, Burma, Cambodia, China, the Dominican Republic, Nigeria, the Philippines, Turkey, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. In addition, in Belarus, President Lukashenko tried to exercise total control over the trade union movement while in Ukraine the security service often visited independent trade union offices. In Georgia, there were harassments and detentions, and illegal seizure of trade union assets. The Government of Cameroon continued efforts to divide the union movement by favouring workers¹ organizations which it saw as being easier to control whilst refusing to register independent trade unions. The survey also cites industrialized countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan and the USA and notes some positive moves in several states which joined the EU in 2004. In Turkey, the survey details a spree of trade union rights violations. Harassment of trade unionists by employers was widespread, including in European Union member states.
