ICFTU OnLine – February 27, 2006

Brussels, 27 February 2006 (ICFTU OnLine) A new ICFTU report on the observance of core labour standards in Djibouti denounces the violations suffered by the country’s workers for over 15 years.

The government of Djibouti restricts freedom of association, the right to strike and collective bargaining both in law and in practice. It also turns a deaf ear to the repeated calls for dialogue and conciliation, and invariably reneges on its promises to implement ILO recommendations on trade union rights and freedom of association. The ICFTU report coincides with the WTO review, this week, of Djibouti’s trade policies.

“Djibouti’s sorry record in the area of respect for core labour standards is extremely worrying,” stated ICFTU general secretary, Guy Ryder. “It is not by flouting the fundamental rights of its citizens that it is going to alleviate the extreme poverty crippling the country.

The government must immediately bring and end to its antiunion practices such as the unfair dismissals, arbitrary arrests and constant harassment of trade union leaders,” he added.

The report underlines that the custom condemns women to holding a lower rank in society and deprives them of equal access to schooling and employment. It also reveals that the repeal of the minimum wage legislation has made it even more difficult to implement the ILO Conventions on equal pay for work of equal value.

It states that the government is making insufficient efforts to ensure children’s welfare and respect for their rights, and reproaches the lack of reliable data on the scope of child labour in the country.

Finally, the report highlights the national legislation’s failure to comply with the ILO standards on forced labour.

Link to the ICFTU report on the observance of core labour standards in Djibouti.

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