ITUC Global Rights Index WORKERS for COUNTRIES WORST WORLD's THE

The 2015 ITUC Global Rights Index WORKERS FOR COUNTRIES WORST WORLD'S THE

| 2 The 2015 ITUC Global Rights Index with theEconomicandSocialCouncilofUnitedNations. in anumberofcountriesaroundtheworld, andhasGeneralConsultativeStatus atinternationallevel.ticular tradeorindustry The ITUChasspecialisedoffices Global UnionFederations(GUFs)whichlinktogethernationalunionsfromapar Unions” togetherwiththe Trade Union CommitteetotheOECDand Advisory 176 million, 40percentofwhomarewomen. Itisalsoapartnerin “Global 162 countriesandterritoriesonallfivecontinents, withamembershipof affiliation atthetime. The newConfederationhas328affiliatedorganisationin well asanumberofnationaltradeunioncentreswhichhadnointernational which wereformerlyaffiliatedtotheICFTUand WCL (bothnowdissolved)as It wasestablishedon1November2006, bringingtogethertheorganisations trade unioncentres, each ofwhichlinkstradeunionsthatparticularcountry. The International Trade UnionConfederation(ITUC)isaconfederationofnational - | 4 Foreword...... 7 Asia Pacific...... 68 Bangladesh...... 70 Part I...... 11 Cambodia...... 71 The 2015 Results...... 12 China...... 72 The ITUC Global Rights Index...... 17 Fiji...... 72 Description of the Ratings ...... 19 Hong Kong ...... 73 Worst Region in the World...... 21 India...... 73 The Ten Worst Countries...... 23 Korea, Republic of...... 74 Most Violated Collective Labour Rights....25 Malaysia...... 75 Countries with Clear Negative Trends....27 Pakistan...... 76 Countries with Perfect Scores...... 30 Philippines...... 77 Notable Improvements...... 31 Significant Events...... 33 Europe...... 78 Belarus...... 80 List of indicators...... 37 Georgia...... 80

Contents Greece...... 81 Part II...... 45 Poland...... 82 Africa...... 46 Romania...... 82 Benin...... 48 Russia...... 83 Burundi...... 49 Spain...... 83 Cameroon...... 49 Turkey...... 84 Côte d’Ivoire...... 50 Ukraine...... 85 Kenya...... 50 United Kingdom...... 85 Mali...... 51 Nigeria...... 52 Middle East and North Africa...... 88 Swaziland...... 53 Algeria...... 89 Zambia...... 54 Egypt...... 90 Zimbabwe...... 55 Iran...... 91 Kuwait...... 92 Americas...... 58 Lebanon...... 92 Colombia...... 60 Mauritania...... 93 El Salvador...... 61 Qatar...... 94 Guatemala...... 61 Saudi Arabia ...... 94 Honduras...... 62 Tunisia...... 94 Mexico...... 63 United Arab Emirates...... 95 Panama...... 64 Paraguay...... 64 Peru...... 65 Trinidad and Tobago...... 66 United States of America...... 66

5 | | 6 Inequality in our countries and in our workplaces is rising and more than 1.2 billion people are living in extreme poverty. Democracy and democratic workers’ rights are at risk and corporate power must be tamed.

The 2015 ITUC Global Rights Index demonstrates the worst countries and regions in the world for working people, with the erosion of rights and increases in insecure, unsafe and informal work. The protection of fundamental rights of working people has become more critical than ever.

The right to associate freely and to collectively bargain for fair wages and working conditions are internationally recognised human rights1 constituting the bedrock of democratic societies. They provide an essential means through Foreword which workers are able to balance the otherwise unequal bargaining power in employment relations and to negotiate a fair share of the wealth they create2.

Employers continue to undermine labour market institutions, creating precarious work for millions of people. International institutions are failing as geo-political economic interests dominate over peace, democracy, human rights and social justice. There is a weak democratic voice against slavery and in favour of rights- based societies.

The global economy, and in particular the global model of trade, is failing to create secure jobs on which families can live. The slump in the wage share, attacks on collective bargaining and inadequate or no social protection are leaving their mark on a generation of working people.

The 2015 ITUC Global Rights Index of the world’s worst countries for working people has introduced a regional analysis, with the Middle East and North Africa identified as the worst region when it comes to fundamental rights at work. The vast majority of workers in the Gulf States are excluded from protection under labour laws and systematically exposed to forced labour under the notorious kafala system.

The effectiveness of fundamental rights and institutions in improving the lives of workers and their families has been proven over and over again3. In Cambodia workers succeeded in negotiating a minimum wage with the garment industry above the national poverty line in November 2014. Yet, governments are failing at guaranteeing labour rights and companies are fighting workers’ demands through threats and discrimination and sometimes even through globally coor- dinated attacks.

7 | Workers have faced brutal violence, even murder, with impunity in several parts of the world, including in countries such as Guatemala, Bangladesh, Peru, Phi- lippines and Colombia, just for standing up to their employers. Police crushed marches and demonstrations where workers demanded minimum wages and jobs security. Governments pursued criminal prosecution for peaceful and legitimate activities in countries such as Hong Kong, Korea, Spain and Turkey. Workers in Qatar and the UAE were arrested and deported simply because they demanded payment of wages they were owed. Employers used wide-ranging tactics, among others dismissals, non-renewal of contracts, wage and bonus cuts, against workers trying to engage them in dialogue about their working conditions.

Even in countries where the legislation seems to provide for strong rights, the lack of labour inspection and grievance mechanisms have rendered those rights futile in practice and exposed workers to abuses by companies and government authorities. In Malaysia, the Industrial Court was left vacant in August 2014 when four judges retired at the same time, further restricting the already limited access to justice for workers.

Last year, the US Chamber of Commerce pressured the Serbian government to reduce collective bargaining rights, increase the maximum duration of tempo- rary employment contracts, reduce severance pay and holiday allowances and re-define equal pay rules by sidelining existing consultative institutions. This is part of a pattern of interference by the Chamber in many countries where it is actively undermining workers’ rights.

Governments have also targeted workers for their leading role in movements for democratic change and accountability. Swaziland, one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies, banned trade union federations in retaliation for their support for multi-party democracy. Police attacked and arrested workers who joined the student protests in support of democratic reform in Hong Kong last September.

It is therefore unsurprising that there is an erosion of confidence towards governments, even democratically elected ones. Across the world, a majority of the population believed that economic policies were not fair to most people. In fact, four out of five people believe the economic system favours the wealthy4. This lack of trust has driven large-scale social unrest which has now also spread to middle-income countries such as Brazil and Turkey which are governed as electoral democracies5.

| 8 The ITUC stands with working people to defend their fundamental rights through strong labour laws and effective democratic institutions. Governments must put the interests of people before markets and rebuild trust by giving a central role to rights and equality.

We continue to collect evidence of violations against workers’ rights and to demand accountability from abusive governments and employers. The 2015 ITUC Global Rights Index covers an additional two nations with coverage rea- ching 141 countries. The first part of this publication depicts the world’s worst countries for workers by rating 141 countries on a scale from 1-5 based on the degree of respect for workers’ rights. The second part of the publication will provide a regional overview, including country examples.

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary

9 | | 10 The 2015 ITUC Global Rights Index The 2015 ITUC Global Rights Index across the world every timechangesinpoliciesorlegislationtakeplace. across theworldevery rights. Inaddition, asatooltotracktrends theITUCGlobalRightsIndexserves increase thevisibilityandtransparencyofeachcountry’s recordonworkers’ 2014, theITUCGlobalRightsIndexwasdevelopedforfirsttimeinorderto has beendonethroughnarrativeinformationpublishedintheITUCSurvey. In documenting andexposingviolationsofworkers’rightsforthreedecades. This for workers’rights. As theglobalvoiceofworkingpeople, theITUChasbeen by rating141countriesonascalefrom1-5basedthedegreeofrespect The ITUCGlobalRightsIndexdepictstheworld’s worstcountriesforworkers PART I PART I // THE 2015 RESULTS

Rating 5+ No guarantee of rights due to the breakdown of the rule of law.

Central African Republic 5+ Eritrea 5+ Iraq 5+ Libya 5+ Palestine 5+ Somalia 5+ Sudan 5+ Sudan, South 5+ Syria 5+

Rating 5 No guarantee of rights.

Algeria 5 Bangladesh 5 Belarus 5 Cambodia 5 China 5 Colombia 5 Egypt 5 Fiji 5 Greece 5 Guatemala 5 Hong Kong 5 India 5 Iran 5 Korea, Republic of 5 | 12 Laos 5 Malaysia 5 Nigeria 5 Pakistan 5 Philippines 5 Qatar 5 Saudi Arabia 5 Swaziland 5 Turkey 5 United Arab Emirates 5 Ukraine 5 Zambia 5 Zimbabwe 5

Rating 4 Systematic violation of rights.

Bahrain 4 Benin 4 Burundi 4 Cameroon 4 Côte d’Ivoire 4 Georgia 4 Honduras 4 Indonesia 4 Jordan 4 Kenya 4 Kuwait 4 Lebanon 4 Mali 4 Mauritania 4 Mexico 4 Myanmar 4 Nepal 4 Oman 4 Peru 4 Poland 4 Romania 4 Sierra Leone 4 Thailand 4 Trinidad and Tobago 4 13 | Tunisia 4 Unites States of America 4 Yemen 4

Rating 3 Regular violation of rights.

Albania 3 Argentina 3 Australia 3 Bahamas 3 Bolivia 3 Botswana 3 Canada 3 Chad 3 Chile 3 Congo 3 Congo, Democratic Republic 3 Djibouti 3 Dominican Republic 3 Ecuador 3 El Salvador 3 Ethiopia 3 Haiti 3 Hungary 3 Israel 3 Jamaica 3 Kazakhstan 3 Madagascar 3 Morocco 3 Namibia 3 Panama 3 Paraguay 3 Portugal 3 Russia 3 Singapore 3 Spain 3 Sri Lanka 3 Taiwan 3 Tanzania 3 | 14 Uganda 3 United Kingdom 3 Venezuela 3

Rating 2 Repeated violation of rights.

Angola 2 Barbados 2 Belize 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 Brazil 2 Bulgaria 2 Burkina Faso 2 Costa Rica 2 Czech Republic 2 Croatia 2 Ghana 2 Ireland 2 Japan 2 Latvia 2 Lesotho 2 Macedonia 2 Malawi 2 Moldova 2 Mozambique 2 New Zealand 2 Rwanda 2 South Africa 2 Senegal 2 Serbia 2 Switzerland 2 Togo 2

15 | Rating 1 Irregular violation of right.

Austria 1 Belgium 1 Denmark 1 Estonia 1 Finland 1 France 1 Germany 1 Iceland 1 Italy 1 Lithuania 1 Montenegro 1 Netherlands 1 Norway 1 Slovakia 1 Sweden 1 Uruguay 1

| 16 PART I // THE ITUC GLOBAL RIGHTS INDEX EXPLAINED IN 4 STEPS1

1. Documenting Violations

The ITUC documents violations of internationally recognised collective labour rights by governments and employers. We send out a questionnaire to 328 national unions in 162 countries asking them to report violations of workers’ rights by indicating relevant details.

Regional meetings with human and trade union rights experts are held where the questionnaire is disseminated, explained and then filled out.

The ITUC contacts unions directly by phone and email when it becomes aware of violations to confirm relevant facts.

Legal researchers analyse national legislation and identify sections which are not adequately protecting internationally recognised collective labour rights.

2. Publication of violations in the ITUC Survey

Documented information is summarised and consolidated by ITUC staff in the form of text. This information is publicly accessible on the website of the ITUC Survey.

17 | 3. Coding of text

The text under each country in the ITUC Survey is read against a list of 97 indicators (See Annex) which is derived from ILO Conventions and jurisprudence and represents violations of workers’ rights in law and in practice. A country receives a point for each time textual information corresponds to an indicator. Each point has the value of 1. After coding the text for a country the number of points is added up to arrive at a total score.

4. Rating countries

The final country score determines which rating a country will get. There are 5 ratings with 1 being the best rating and 5 being the worst rating a country could get. A high score effectively means that a large number of violations were committed which in turn results in a poor rating.

| 18 PART I // DESCRIPTION OF THE RATINGS

// Irregular violation of rights

Collective labour rights are generally guaranteed. Workers can freely associate and defend their rights collectively with the government and/or companies and can improve their working conditions through collective bargaining. Violations against workers are not absent but do not occur on a regular basis.

// Repeated violation of rights

Countries with a rating of 2 have slightly weaker collective labour rights than those with the rating 1. Certain rights have come under repeated attacks by governments and/or companies and have undermined the struggle for better working conditions.

// Regular violation of rights

Governments and/or companies are regularly interfering in collective labour rights or are failing to fully guarantee important aspects of these rights. There are deficiencies in laws and/or certain practices which make frequent violations possible.

// Systematic violation of rights

Workers in countries with the rating 4 have reported systematic violations. The government and/or companies are engaged in serious efforts to crush the collective voice of workers putting fundamental rights under threat.

19 | // No guarantee of rights

Countries with the rating of 5 are the worst countries in the world to work in. While the legislation may spell out certain rights workers have effectively no access to these rights and are therefore exposed to autocratic regimes and unfair labour practices.

// No guarantee of rights due to the breakdown of the rule of law

Workers in countries with the rating 5+ have equally limited rights as countries with the rating 5. However, in countries with the rating 5+ this is linked to dys- functional institutions as a result of internal conflict and/or military occupation. In such cases, the country is assigned the rating of 5+ by default.

| 20 PART I // WORST REGION IN THE WORLD

The Middle East and North Africa remains the world’s worst region when it comes to fundamental rights at work. The vast majority of workers consisting of migrant workers in the Gulf countries are excluded from protection under the labour laws systematically exposing them forced labour. In other countries, such as Egypt, workers struggle for decent work and face serious repercussions for raising their voices repression against autocratic rule.

While European countries are by far the best in the world at guaranteeing rights effectively, this is also the region that experienced the starkest deterioration within the last year. The average rating increased from 1.84 to 2.32 reflecting a clear erosion of laws and institutions which previously guaranteed rights and democracy workplaces. Labour rights continue to be under attack under the guise of austerity measures in countries such as Greece and Portugal. At the same time, many governments have increasingly been targeting workers with criminal sanctions and detentions for opposing these policies through strikes and protests, including in Spain and Russia.

1 4.25 0

Africa 3.18 Europe 2.32 Americas 3.12 North Africa Asia- Pacific 4.14 Middle East and

21 | | 22 PART I // THE TEN WORST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD FOR WORKERS

Countries Key Problems Belarus Discrimination-Forced Labour-Repression of Protests

China Discrimination-Arrests-Precarious Work-Lack of Due Process

Colombia Murders-Collective Bargaining Undermined-Dis- crimination

Egypt Police Brutality-Mass Arrests-Abductions

Guatemala Armed attacks-Murders-Lack of Due Process

Pakistan Large Scale Exclusions of Workers from Labour Law-Arrests-Violence

Qatar Migrants Excluded from Labour Law-Forced Labour

Saudi Arabia Migrants Excluded from Labour Law-Forced Labour

Swaziland Trade Unions Banned-Police Violence- Imprisonment

United Arab Emirates Migrants Excluded from Labour Law-Forced Labour

23 | | 24 PART I // MOST VIOLATED COLLECTIVE LABOUR RIGHTS

Large-scale exclusion of workers

International labour standards prohibit discrimination against workers and establish that all workers must have access to fundamental rights. However, 82 out of 141 countries exclude certain types of workers from labour rights. In 99 out of 141 countries several categories of workers are excluded from the right to strike. While restrictions with respect to certain rights could be regarded as legitimate in some cases, the exclusion of workers, in law or in practice, can lead to massive abuses and victimisation. Exclusion can be linked to the employment status of workers thus leaving precarious and informal workers outside the scope of the labour. This has a devastating impact for workers in countries where this type of work is increasing. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of the labour force is in the informal economy. It is estimated that as many as nine in ten rural and urban workers have informal jobs.

The right to collective bargaining

Collective bargaining is essential for making collective representation effective and improving the living and working conditions of workers through genuine and constructive negotiations. It provides a counterbalance to the inherent asymmetry between the powerful employer and the individual worker. Yet, employers and governments have adopted illegal strategies by completely refusing to bargain with representative trade unions or by delaying negotiations to such an extent that they become almost meaningless in at least 84 out of 141 countries.

25 | Protection from Anti-union Discrimination

Workers who are subjected to discriminatory measures on account of their trade union membership or activities cannot exercise their right to freedom of association. To have a real choice, workers have to be sufficiently protected against employer interference and discrimination. Anti-union discriminatory measures include prejudice in employment because of trade union membership or activities, such as dismissal or other aspects of employment.

Workers in 73 out of 141 have faced some form discrimination such as dismissals and suspension or pay cuts and demotions for peacefully exercising their collective labour rights guaranteed by international law. In about 77% of these countries, workers who have faced discrimination did not have access to effective legal remedies due to legal restrictions or problems in practice.

Arbitrary arrests and detentions

An immense increase in the number of arbitrary arrests and detentions of workers for exercising their rights in a legitimate and peaceful manner was noted in the 2014/2015 reporting period. The number of countries where such violations were reported rose from 35 in 2013/2014 to 44 in 2014/2015 and now even includes countries such as Spain and Brazil. Such arrests and detentions are not only grave violations of fundamental rights of the individuals concerned but also create an atmosphere of intimidation silencing independent voices.

| 26 PART I // COUNTRIES WITH CLEAR NEGATIVE TRENDS

For several countries the number of violations reported to the ITUC increased in the 2014/2015 reporting period. Even though ratings did not change in all of cases, the reported violations seem to develop into a clear pattern putting workers at risk in the countries listed below.

Country Trend

Burundi The country received the rating 3 last year but violence in the pre-election period in 2015 also had a negative impact on workers and trade unions which became targets of police violence. Burundi received the rating 4 noting systematic violations of rights.

Dominican Thousands of Haitian workers were threatened with depor- Republic tation this year and one Haitian was lynched; Dominican workers were arrested and faced discrimination at their workplaces for legitimate activities.

Hong Kong Workers joined the democracy protests in 2014 as part of the umbrella movement and were arrested in masses for disorderly conduct in public places and unlawful assembly.

27 | Iran At least 65 workers were arrested and received heavy prison sentences including corporal punishment. Three cases of torture in prison were reported.

Georgia The new labour code adopted in 2013 addressed improved workers’ rights to some extent. However, due to the lack of labour inspection violations have increased again in practice.

Russia Workers have faced criminal charges for their legitimate trade union activities in a number of instances. Employers have also threatened and intimidated workers who spoke on workplace issues. Russia received the rating 3 indicating regular violations but was very close to receiving the rating 4.

United Kingdom Effective legislation prohibiting blacklisting of trade union members is still not in place. At the same time, the Transpa- rency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 now gives public authorities wide access to membership registers which could potentially expose union members to blacklisting.

Spain 81 criminal and administrative cases on-going affecting more than 300 workers who participated in strikes.

| 28 29 | PART I // COUNTRIES WITH PERFECT SCORES

Violations of labour rights occur in virtually all countries, even where labour laws and institutions are strong and there is a genuine effort to give effect to them by governments and employers. According to reports received by the ITUC, there have been a number of countries in which these violations were addressed peacefully through negotiations without any form of retaliation and abuse against workers raising these violations.

Norway

Finland

Netherlands

Austria

Uruguay

| 30 PART I // NOTABLE IMPROVEMENTS

The analysis of the 2015 ITUC Global Rights Index has also revealed that there have been a number of notable improvements in some countries with respect to certain problems.

Mozambique Parliament recognised for the first time that public servants have the right to establish and join trade unions in order to negotiate better working conditions. However, restrictions on their right to strike remain which has a significant impact on their ability to bargain with their employer.

Lesotho According to the ILO Better Work programme, violations of core labour standards were only reported in one out of 13 surveyed garment companies. Working conditions have steadily improved in Lesotho’s garment factories, particularly since the introduction of the ILO’s Better Work programme in 2010.

31 | | 32 PART I // SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD APRIL 2014- MARCH 2015

April 2014 Nigeria: Retaliation for strike action Electricity companies in Ibadan and Jos threatened to dismiss 5357 workers for participating in strike actions against the outsourcing of jobs and inadequate working conditions.

May 2014 Cambodia: Police crushes May Day celebrations At least five people were injured during May Day celebrations outside Freedom Park. Hundreds of police officers were deployed and the park was surrounded with barbed wire to bar protesters. Police and security forces intervened violently when more 1,500 people voiced demands for better working conditions and wages.

June 2014 Ukraine: Attack trade union conference in Kiev A trade union conference was violently attacked by neo-Nazi thugs on 26 June 2014 in Kiev. The Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine was holding its congress and was due to elect its leadership when it was faced an attack burning flags, breaking doors and windows and setting several fires.

July 2014 Turkey: Army interferes in strike action The army interfered in a strike held by workers at the dairy producer Sütaş plant in Bursa Karacabey. Previously, management had tried to break the strike by pouring 13 tons of liquid manure on the sit-in area.

33 | August 2014 Paraguay: Repression against education unionists On 28 August, education workers were holding a demonstration calling for better pay and the allocation of 7% of GDP to education under the nation’s general expenditure budget. Even though, the demonstration was peaceful, police interfered violently injuring several trade union leaders.

September 2014 Belarus: Anti-union discrimination Tractor-company Babrujsk refuses to renew the fixed-term employment contract of active unionists. Alyaksandr Varankin and Alyaksandr Hramyka of the Free Trade Union of Belarus lost their jobs by the end of September 2014.

October 2014 Costa Rica: Workers arrested following Puerto Limon strike Hundreds of police officers stormed Puerto Limon’s Moin and Limon terminals on 23 October 2014, violently attacking workers and arresting 68 men and women who were peacefully striking. The port re-opened the following day with strikebreakers, some of them from nearby countries, replacing the union members.

November 2014 Qatar: Around 100 striking migrant workers arrested Around 800 construction workers went on strike in protest against breaches of employment contracts and against poverty wages. The workers had signed contracts before leaving their home countries for Qatar; on arrival in Doha their passports were confiscated and contracts torn up. They were then forced to work for wages one-third lower than promised. Police arrested workers and sent them to the notorious Doha Detention Centre where migrant workers are often held incommunicado for long periods before eventual deportation.

| 34 December 2014 Russia: Criminal prosecution of trade union activist Leonid Tikhonov, chairman of the Dockers Union of Russia was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months imprisonment based on false accusations after having campaigned for improved safety and social guarantees at the workplace.

January 2015 India: NVH India employees detained for strike On 3 January 2015, more than 90 employees were detained for staying a sit-in-strike at NVH India Auto, a component supplier to Hyundai. The striking workers were demanding the reinstatement of 17 workers who were dismissed after an earlier strike. They were also demanding recognition of their union.

February 2015 Mauritania: Bad faith bargaining at mining company Workers at the National Industrial and Mining Company went on strike on 28 January 2015 to demand that the company honour pay rises agreed on 3 May 2014. Ahmed Vall Cheibani, the leader of one of the workers’ unions at SNIM, affiliated to the National Confederation of Mauritanian Workers, (CNTM), was sacked on 12 February 2015, supposedly for lack of respect to a superior, without being able to defend himself against the charges. The CNTM protested at the dismissal, which was a blatant retaliation for his role in the strike.

March 2015 Philippines: Murder Florencio “Bong” Romano, a long-time union organiser at the RFM firm in Laguna and provincial coordinator of the National Coalition for the Protection of Workers’ Rights in Southern Tagalog, was found dead on a sidewalk of Barangay Soro-soro, Batangas City. This was the 18th case of extra-judicial killings in the labour sector since President Noynoy Aquino came into power in 2010.

35 | | 36 I. CIVIL LIBERTIES 2 A. Violations in Law 1. Arrest, detention, imprisonment, charging and fining of trade unionists ILO Digest3 paras. 61-95 General Survey4 paras. 31-32 2. Violation of the right to freedom of expression and assembly ILO Digest paras. 130-174 General Survey paras. 35-39 3. Lack of guarantee of due process of law ILO Digest paras. 48-57, 75-83, 89-90, 96-120 General Survey paras. 29, 31-32

B. Violations in Practice 4. Murder or disappearance of trade unionist ILO Digest paras. 42-60 General Survey paras. 28-30 5. Committed against trade union leaders Violation of (4) is committed against a union leader 6. Severity Widespread and/or systematic violation of (4) 7. Other types of physical violence ILO Digest paras. 42-60 General Survey paras. 28-30, 33 8. Committed against trade union leaders Violation of (7) is committed against a union leader 9. Severity Widespread and/or systematic violation of (7) 10. Threats and intimidation ILO Digest paras. 35, 44, 58, 60 11. Committed against trade union leaders Violation of (10) is committed against a union leader 12. Severity Widespread and/or systematic violation of (10) 13. Arrest, detention, imprisonment, charging and fining of trade unionists

List of Composite Indicators ILO Digest paras. 61-95 General Survey paras. 31-32 14. Committed against trade union leaders Violation of (13) is committed against a union leader 15. Severity Widespread and/or systematic violation of (13)

37 | 16. Infringement of the right to freedom of movement ILO Digest paras. 122-124 General Survey para. 34 17. Committed against trade union leaders Violation of (16) is committed against a union leader 18. Severity Widespread and/or systematic violation of (16) 19. Infringement of the right to freedom of expression and assembly ILO Digest paras. 130-174 General Survey paras. 35-39 20. Committed against trade union leaders Violation of (19) is committed against a union leader 21. Severity Widespread and/or systematic violation of (19) 22. Lack of guarantee of due process of law ILO Digest paras. 48-57, 75-83, 89-90, 96-120 General Survey paras. 29, 31-32

II. RIGHT TO ESTABLISH OR JOIN UNIONS A. Violations in Law 23. Exclusion from the right to establish and join unions ILO Digest paras. 210-271 General Survey paras. 45-67 24. Conditions of union registration ILO Digest paras. 272, 275-293 General Survey paras. 68-70 25. Union registration ILO Digest paras. 273, 294-308 General Survey para. 71 26. Restrictions on the freedom of choice of union structure and composition ILO Digest paras. 333-337, 360-362 General Survey paras. 79-90 27. Union monopoly ILO Digest paras. 311-332 General Survey para. 91 28. Favouritism/discrimination between unions ILO Digest paras. 339-345 General Survey para. 104 29. Dissolution/suspension of legally functioning union ILO Digest paras. 677-709 General Survey paras. 180-188 | 38 30. Dismissal and suspension of trade unionists ILO Digest paras. 769-781, 789-798, 799-802, 804-812, 658-666, 674 General Survey paras. 199-210, 213 31. Other anti-union discrimination ILO Digest paras. 769-781, 782-788, 799-803, 654-657, 658, 660, 675 General Survey paras. 199-212 32. Effective legal guarantees against anti-union discriminatory measures ILO Digest paras. 813-836 General Survey paras. 214-224 33. Right to establish and join federations ILO Digest paras. 710-768 General Survey paras. 189-198 34. Law of guarantee of due process of law Lack of due process regarding violations (23)- (33)

B. Violations in Practice 35. Serious obstacle to exercise the right in practice Vast majority of population is excluded from this right in practice 36. Exclusion from the right to establish and join unions ILO Digest paras. 210-271 General Survey paras. 45-67 37. Conditions of union registration ILO Digest paras. 272, 275-293 General Survey paras. 68-70 38. Union registration ILO Digest paras. 273, 294-308 General Survey para. 71 39. Restrictions on the freedom of choice of union structure and composition ILO Digest paras. 333-337, 360-362 General Survey paras. 79-90 40. Union monopoly ILO Digest paras. 311-332 General Survey para. 91 41. Favouritism/discrimination between unions ILO Digest paras. 339-345 General Survey para. 104 42. Dissolution/suspension of legally functioning union ILO Digest paras. 677-709 General Survey paras. 180-188 43. Dismissal and suspension of trade unionists ILO Digest paras. 769-781, 789-798, 799-802, 804-812, 658-666, 674 General Survey paras. 199-210, 213 39 | 44. Other anti-union discrimination ILO Digest paras. 769-781, 782-788, 799-803, 654-657, 658, 660, 675 General Survey paras. 199-212 45. Committed against trade union leaders Violation of (43) and/or (44) is committed against a union leader 46. Severity Widespread and/or systematic violation of (43) and/or (44) 47. Effective legal guarantees against anti-union discriminatory measures ILO Digest paras. 813-836 General Survey paras. 214-224 48. Right to establish and join federations ILO Digest paras. 710-768 General Survey paras. 189-198 49. Law of guarantee of due process of law Lack of due process regarding violations (23)- (33)

III. TRADE UNION ACTIVITIES A. Violations in Law 50. Exclusion from the right to carry out union activities ILO Digest paras. 210-271 General Survey paras. 45-67 51. Right to freely administer a union ILO Digest paras. 369-387, 454-494 General Survey paras. 108, 109-112, 124-127 52. Eligibility conditions for representative ILO Digest paras. 405-426 General Survey para. 121 53. Interference in electoral process ILO Digest 392-404, 427-453 54. Right to organise activities and programmes ILO Digest paras. 495-519; General Survey paras. 108, 128-135 55. Law of guarantee of due process of law Lack of due process regarding violations (50)-(54)

B. Violations in Practice 56. Exclusion from the right to carry out union activities ILO Digest paras. 210-271 General Survey paras. 45-67 57. Right to freely administer a union ILO Digest paras. 369-387, 454-494 | 40 General Survey paras. 108, 109-112, 124-127 58. Eligibility conditions for representative ILO Digest paras. 405-426 General Survey para. 121 59. Interference in electoral process ILO Digest 392-404, 427-453 60. Right to organise activities and programmes ILO Digest paras. 495-519 General Survey paras. 108, 128-135 61. Law of guarantee of due process of law Lack of due process regarding violations (56)-(60)

IV. RIGHT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING A. Violations in Law 62. Exclusion from the right to collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 885-911 General Survey paras. 261-264 63. Exclusion/restriction of subjects covered by collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 912-924 General Survey para. 250 64. Compulsory arbitration accorded to collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 925-928, 992-997, 566-567 General Survey paras. 254-259 65. Recognition for collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 944-983 General Survey paras. 238-243 66. Undermining and/or insufficient promotion of collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 925-943, 988-991, 998-1000, 924-1043, 1058 General Survey paras. 244-249 67. Interference into to collective agreements ILO Digest paras. 940-943, 1001-1023, 1047-1053 General Survey paras. 251-253 68. Law of guarantee of due process of law Lack of due process regarding violations (62)-(67)

B. Violations in Practice 69. Serious obstacle to exercise the right in practice Vast majority of population is excluded from this right in practice 70. Exclusion from the right to collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 885-911 General Survey paras. 261-264

41 | 71. Exclusion/restriction of subjects covered by collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 912-924 General Survey para. 250 72. Compulsory arbitration accorded to collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 925-928, 992-997, 566-567 General Survey paras. 254-259 73. Recognition for collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 944-983 General Survey paras. 238-243 74. Undermining and/or insufficient promotion of collective bargaining ILO Digest paras. 925-943, 988-991, 998-1000, 924-1043, 1058 General Survey paras. 244-249 75. Interference into collective agreements ILO Digest paras. 940-943, 1001-1023, 1047-1053 General Survey paras. 251-253 76. Lack of guarantee of due process of law Lack of due process regarding violations (69)-(75)

V. RIGHT TO STRIKE A. Violations in Law 77. Exclusion from the right to strike ILO Digest paras. 572-594 General Survey paras. 154-160, 169 78. Exclusion/restriction based on the objective and type of the strike ILO Digest paras. 526-544, 545-546 General Survey paras. 165-168, 173 79. Compensatory guarantees for lawful restrictions ILO Digest paras. 595-627 General Survey paras. 161-162, 164 80. Compulsory arbitration ILO Digest paras. 564- 569 General Survey para. 153 81. Prerequisites for strikes ILO Digest paras. 547-563 General Survey paras. 170-172 82. Interference in strike action ILO Digest paras. 628-653 General Survey paras. 174-175 83. Sanctions for legitimate strike action ILO Digest paras. 667-674 General Survey paras. 176-179 | 42 84. Lack of guarantee of due process of law Lack of due process regarding violations (77)-(83)

B. Violations in Practice 85. Serious obstacle to exercise the right in practice Vast majority of population is excluded from this right in practice 86. Exclusion from the right to strike ILO Digest paras. 572-594 General Survey paras. 154-160, 169 87. Exclusion/restriction based on the objective and type of the strike ILO Digest paras. 526-544, 545-546 General Survey paras. 165-168, 173 88. Compensatory guarantees for lawful restrictions ILO Digest paras. 595-627 General Survey paras. 161-162, 164 89. 89. Compulsory arbitration ILO Digest paras. 564- 569 General Survey para. 153 90. Prerequisites for strikes ILO Digest paras. 547-563 General Survey paras. 170-172 91. Interference in strike action ILO Digest paras. 628-653 General Survey paras. 174-175 92. Committed against trade union leaders Violation under (91) is committed against a union leader 93. Severity Widespread and/or systematic violation of (91) 94. Sanctions for legitimate strike action ILO Digest paras. 667-674 General Survey paras. 176-179 95. Committed against trade union leaders Violation under (94) is committed against a union leader 96. Severity Widespread and/or systematic violation of (94) 97. Lack of guarantee of due process of law Lack of due process regarding violations (85)-(96)

43 | Excerpts from the Survey

| 44 AFRICA

AMERICAS

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

EUROPE

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

PART II

Complete country information can be found under: survey.ituc-csi.org Excerpts from the Survey |

AFRICA 46 were cutthrough retrenchments andfreezesonthe Between 20-40per centoflabourinspectorpositions a resultofthesepoliciesthroughout thewholeregion. number oflabourinspectorswasdrastically reducedas considered asinefficient,rigidand highly costly.The a hindrancetotheoperationoffree marketsand reforms inthepublicsectorwhich is perceivedas economy hasbeenfurtherexacerbatedbystructural The lackoflabourlawenforcementintheinformal labour ministries. because ofinadequatemonitoringworkplacesby protection orareunabletoenjoytheirrightsinpractice These workersareeitherexcludedbylawfromlabour economy inordertoprovidealivingtheirfamilies. than toworkforextremelylowwagesintheinformal systems, alargenumberofworkershavenootheroption underdeveloped ornon-existentsocialprotection the caseforwomenandyoungpeople. urban workershaveinformaljobs;thisisespecially It isestimatedthatasmanynineintenruraland rights. conditions ofworkthatunderminefundamentalworkers’ jobs characterisedbyinadequateearningsanddifficult the vastmajorityofworkers,82percent,areengagedin While unemploymentlevelsarenotexceptionallyhigh, key obstaclestoreducingpovertyinsub-SaharanAfrica. because ofeitherlowwagesorlimitedworkinghours,are i.e. theinabilitytoderiveadecentincomefromlabour, conditions andthepersistenceofunderemployment, live onlessthanUS$2perday. annually, morethan70percentofyouthinAfrica Despite steadyeconomicgrowthofcloseto5percent AFRICA PART II// 1 Precarious working Precariousworking 2 Facing from 75percentto67percent. the urbanemploymentrateinSierraLeonedecreased on employmentintheaffectedcountries.Forexample, toll andsuffering,thecrisisalsohadaprofoundimpact health inspectorswerereducedbyabout15percent. cent, from175to124,whiletheoccupationalsafetyand of generalinspectorsinKenyawasreducedby30per recruitment ofnewinspectors.Forexample,thenumber Lesotho andMali. despite existingcollectivebargaininglaws,includingin negotiate withworkersoverworkingconditionsandpay Nigeria. Inothercountries,employershaverefusedto pay cutsincountriessuchasKenya,Gabon,Beninand participated instrikeactionthroughmassdismissalsor Employers havediscriminatedagainstworkerswho countries suchasNiger,Djibouti,KenyaandCameroon. have arbitrarilyarrestedworkersforcollectiveactionin repression bygovernmentsandemployers.Governments institutions andsocialsecurity,despiteretaliation working conditions,securejobs,transparentgovernment continent. Theystruggleforaminimumlivingwage,safe order toimproveworkingconditionsandlivesonthe structures, theyareincreasinglygettingorganisedin economic challengesaswellweakgovernment Even though,Africanworkersfaceenormoussocio- Liberia andinSierraLeone. and theirpatientswhichledtoanumberofstrikesin even haveaccesstoequipmentprotectthemselves worked underaparticularlyhighriskandoftendidnot workers whohaddirectcontactwithEbolapatients result ofthedeadlyEbolaVirusDisease(EVD). in Guinea,SierraLeoneandLiberia,losttheirlivesasa Since March2014,morethan10,000people,mainly 5 Beyondthehorriblehuman 6 4 Health 3

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AFRICA 48 SYSTEMATIC VIOLATIONS NO GUARANTEE OF RIGHTS OF RIGHTS | | 4 5

The Ten Worst Countries union leaders. the unionhadalso complained ofthreatsagainstteachers’ the protests.During anearlierstrikethatendedinMay2014 threats againstteachersandunfairtransfers fortheirpartin by thegovernment.Theirdemandsalso includedtheliftingof rather thanthemonthlybonusof10,000 CFAfrancsoffered of the25percentindexrisegrantedto othercivilservants, Nationale (FESEN),wentonstriketodemand thepayment education unions,theFédérationdesSyndicatsdel’Education 17 Marchteachersrepresentedbythenationalfederationof Teachers complainofharassmentoverpayprotest:On their marchintoasit-in. presence ofsomanyuniformedofficers,theprotestorsturned claimed theiractionwasillegal.Facedwiththeintimidating the localadministration,‘Prefet’,ArmandMaurice,who and gendarmes,whowerethereontheordersofhead found themselvessurroundedbyuniformedpoliceofficers security benefits.Assoonasthemarchbeganprotesters amongst otherthings,thepaymentofsixyears’worthsocial des peuples”(thePeoples’andWorkers’Forum)todemand, organised bytheumbrellagroup“Forumdestravailleurset primary schoolteachersfromgoingahead.Themarchwas the townofAbomeypreventedamarchbyunionsrepresenting On themorningof12February2015policeandgendarmesin Teachers’ protestmarchandstrikeactionrepressed: society organisationsandpoliticalpartieswithopposingviews. freedoms andtradeunionrightsaswellsafetyforcivil peacefully. Tradeunionsdemandedrespectfordemocratic tear gastodispersehundredsofworkerswhowereprotesting several peopleinjured,includingunionleaders.Policehadused state-owned companies,hadbeenattackedbypoliceleaving increase intheminimumwageprivatesectorand marching inaprotestorganisedbyunionstocallforan threatened workersthroughstatementsinthemedia.Workers the SecretaryGeneralofGovernment,EugèneDOSSOUMON, elementary andprimaryschooleducation,AlbertADAGBE, representatives, inparticulartheChiefofstaffMinister and legalprotestactionon27December2013.Government January 2014toprotestagainsttherepressionofapeaceful CGTB, COSI-BENINandCSPIBcalledforageneralstrikein wages, tradeunionsinBenin,includingtheCSTB,CSA-BENIN, General strike:Despiteintimidationandthreatstodeduct BENIN | 4 Bujumbura inSeptember2014. between 75and83,weremurderedataconventnorthof the securityservices.ThreeRomanCatholicnuns,aged was arrestedforbroadcastingamurderconfessionimplicating RDA andamemberoftheUnionBurundaisedesJournalistes, elections. Moreover,BobRugurika,ajournalistemployedwith the protestsincapitalaheadofcontroversialgeneral in Bujumbura,accusingthestationof"incitement"forcovering the closureofleadingstationRadioPubliqueAfricaine(RPA) Arbitrary imprisonmentofjournalist:Authoritiesordered to theAdministrativeChamberofSupremeCourt. conflict, theMinisterofPublicServicemayrefermatter Act 1/015furtherprovidesthat,intheeventofaleadership for atleast3years(section10,ActNo.1/015).Section7of team ofatradeunioniftheyhaveworkedinthepublicsector sector workersareonlyeligibleforelectiontotheleadership trade foratleastoneyear(art.275,LabourCode).Public months' imprisonment;and4)havepracticedintherelevant without privatefinalsuspensionoffreedomexceedingsix able toreadandwrite;3)havenotincurredaprisonsentence trade unionunlessthey:1)areagedatleast25years;2) not bemembersoftheadministrationandmanagementa self-administer infullfreedom:Privatesectorworkersmay Restrictions ontherighttoelectrepresentativesand the unionshadbeen involvedinaseriesofstrikesoverthe authorisation, giving themfinancialsupport.Earlierintheyear that thegovernment wasfavouringunionsthathadgovernment He warnedthatgrassrootsunionswere beingdismantled,and that inJuly2014theeducationunions were facingsanctions. independent unionforsecondaryeducation workers,reported autonome del'enseignementsecondaire (SNAES),the Roger KaffoFokou,GeneralSecretaryof theSyndicatnational Government seekstoundermineeducationunions: CAMEROON BURUNDI | | 4 4 had beendropped. announced thatallcharges againstthethreetradeunionists an internationaltrade unioncampaign.InearlyMarchitwas –month sentence,afterwidespreadunion protests,including released on27February,havingserved sixweeksofhis provisions ofthenewanti-terroristlaw. FiokoPatricewas on 30January,havingbeenheldfor15 daysunderthe Jean CollinsNdefossokengandJoseph Deudiéwerereleased same chargesafterdistributingleafletspromotingthestrike. tried andsentencedtosixmonthsinprisonCameroononthe Transport SectorEmployees(SYNESTER)union,wasarrested, On 19January,FiokoPatrice,fromtheNationalUnionofLand legal procedures. organising thestrike,unionshadfollowedallCameroon’s approved insurancecompanies,andagainstfuelpricerises.In from 5January,toprotestagainstchangesimposedbystate- The twounionshadplannedastrikeon19January,postponed were tryingtoassimilateunionactivitieswithterroristaction. Boko Haram.Theunionleaderswarnedthattheauthorities 2014, wasintroducedlargelyinresponsetotheactivitiesof Cameroon’s newterroristlaw,N°2014/028of23December planned strike. and terroristactivity’afterdistributingleafletspromotinga Yaoundé, thesecurityforces,for‘advocatingcrime,sedition 2015. TheyweredetainedbytheMobileInterventionGroupof of Cameroon(SYNACPROTCAM)werearrestedon16January National Union of ProfessionalDriversandTransportWorkers (SYNESTER), andJosephDeudie,presidentofthe Employees president oftheNationalUnionLandTransportSector one sentencedtoprison:JeanCollinsNdefossokeng, Three transportunionleadersarrestedforcallingstrike; all oftheworkers’demands. negotiations anagreementwasreached,meetingmostbutnot for twodays.Theywerereleasedon25December.Furtherto were arrestedbythegendarmesandheldincustodyKribi the plantationstokeepaneyeonstrikers.127workers was stillnosolutioninsight,andgendarmeswerepatrolling their salarygrade,andnoannualbonus.By20Decemberthere company offeredbetween50and55percent,dependingon per centpayriseandathirteenthmonthannualbonus.The during adisputeoverpay.Theworkerswereseeking100 at theHevecamplantationwentonstrike14December Plantation workersarrestedforgoingonstrike:Workers working conditions. government’s slownesstodeliveronpromisedimprovementsin 49

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AFRICA 50 unions accusingthe governmentofbargaininginbadfaith. had theirdemands satisfied. Thesituationdraggedon,with the and byNovember2014theunionsreported theyhadstillnot the FinanceMinisterkeptdelayingfinalising anagreement, toagreeonmostofthenegotiating pointshowever, seeming forced the Ministersbacktonegotiating table.Despite called a72hourstriketobeginon9September. Thestrike the GeneralSecretaryofOSATI,BenjaminGbogbeuYaoue, rather thanattendingthenegotiationsthemselves.Infrustration Budget andFinanceMinisterssenttheirheadsofcabinetalong though thepreviousnegotiationshadneverexisted,and 2014 noprogresshadbeenmade,theministriesactedas Union ofCôted’IvoireOSATIhadtostartagain.BySeptember when theMinistrywasdividedintwoandTreasuryWorkers and workingconditions,begunin2013,amountedtonothing negotiation withtheFinanceandBudgetMinistryoverliving Ministries turntheirbacksonnegotiations:Monthsof companies. in Mfoundi,andconstructionworkersemployedbyChinese elections byemployers,affectingmostrecentlyhealthworkers says therehasbeeninterferenceandmanipulationinunion system, totheunions,therebystarvingthemoffunds.Italso transferring unionsdues,deductedthroughthecheck-off Confederation ofCameroon,USLC,saysemployersoftendelay Delays intransferringduestounion:TheFreeTradeUnion deal withonlyoneunionandignoringtherest. banking sectoringeneral,withemployersusuallypreferringto The USLCalsoreportsthatthereisblatantdiscriminationinthe union representationelectionsduetobeheldinJanuary2016. persistent thattheunionisthinkingofwithdrawingfromnext informing thelabourinspector.Theharassmenthasbeenso the unionrepresentativewasmovedtoadifferentpost,without management, andthattherehadbeenseveralcasesinwhich ATTIJARIWAFA bankregularlysufferverbalharassmentby workers’ unionFESYLTEFCAMatthemultinational financial Cameroon –USLC)reportedthatmembersofthe Confederation ofCameroon(UniondesSyndicatsLibresdu Anti-union harassmentatbank:TheFreeTradeUnion CÔTE D’IVOIRE | 4 centre withdismissal. participating inthecongressorhavingcontactwithnational pressure. Themanagementoftheportthreatenedworkers Autonome d’Abidjanconductedtheircongressunderserious 2014, membersoftheSyndicatLibredesAgentsduPort cases ofanti-uniondiscrimination.Forexample,inNovember Anti-union discrimination:Thereisanenormousamountof by theunion. government hasfailedtorespondmultiplecomplaintsmade has beenoccupiedbyarmedforcessinceJune2011.The Occupation ofunionoffices:TheheadofficeFESACI based onthisallegation. headquarters inEurope.Thecompanyalsodismissedhim been sendingcomplaintsaboutlowwagestothecompany’s in January2015whenmanagementallegedthathehad company AggrekoinCôted’Ivoire.Hewasarrestedbypolice Arrest: JeanPierreTchotcheisaunionrepresentativeatthe demands. that yearfortakingpartinademonstrationsupportoftheir because nineoftheirmembershadbeenarrestedinMarch force progress,butadvisedmemberstosimplystayathome, announced astrikeon21August2014inanattemptto union SyndicatlibredesagentsdelaConstruction(SYLAC) demands. TheGeneralSecretaryoftheconstructionworkers’ to comeupwithanyproposalsinresponsetheirpay experienced similarfrustrationswhenthegovernmentfailed Workers employedbytheConstructionMinistryhad Farm inNaivasha,accused ofincitingtheircolleagues.They officials weresacked inJuly2014bytheKaruturiFlower Union officialssacked byflowerfarm:Sevenunion May Daycelebrations. be heldatUhuruParkinNairobiiftheunion didnotcalloffthe would stormtheNationalLabourDayCelebrations scheduledto nothing”. Moreover,governmentofficials declaredthatthey intimidated unionsbystatingthathewould“reduceCOTUto Social SecurityandServices,SamuelKambiKazungu,publicly Intimidation: InApril2014,CabinetSecretaryforLabour, KENYA | 4 (TSC) –tosubmitproposals onthe300percentpayincrease Commission (SRC)and theTeachersServiceCommission Primary Teachers(KUPPET), theSalariesandRemuneration National UnionofTeachers(KNUT),the KenyaUnionofPost and askedallpartiesinvolvedinthedispute –theKenya called offaftertwoweekswhentheIndustrial Courtintervened demands onpayandconditions.TheJanuary 2015strikewas after theTeachers’ServiceCommission (TSC)failedtomeetits (KUPPET) hadcalledanationwidestrikeon5January2015 and theKenyaUnionofPostPrimaryEducationTeachers amounted tointimidationagainsttheunionleader.TheKNUT said on2Februarythatthesummonswasillegalandit their supportforWilsonSossionandtheLawSocietyofKenya a strikeduetosecurityconcerns.Theteachersexpressed teachers inNortheasternKenyanottoreturnworkafter the CriminalInvestigationDepartmentafterallegedlyadvising Wilson Sossion,wasissuedasummonsinJanuary2015by Secretary GeneraloftheKenyaNationalUnionTeachers, Teachers’ leaderfacespolicesummonsoverstrike:The of thestrike. in courtagainstthecompanyfordeductingpayduration was againstthetermsofagreement.Theunionfiledacase the sevendaysoftheirstrikehowever,whichunionsaid officials. Paywasdeductedfromtheworkers’salaryslipsfor a back-to-workagreementinthepresenceofLabourMinistry was calledoffon16OctoberaftertheunionandTelkomsigned contract workershad,nottheirunionmembership.Thestrike unfounded, andthatthedifferenceswererelatedtotypeof strike wentaheadafterTelkomcounteredthattheclaimwas accused themanagementofharassmentandintimidation.The 8 Octoberifthebonuseswerenotpaidfairly.Theunionalso that morethan1000Telkomworkerswoulddowntoolson members haveonlybeengivenSh2,000.COWUwarned amounting tobetweenSh30,000Sh1,000,000,whileunion paid between50percentand75oftheirsalaries, at TelkomKenya.Hesaidthatnon-unionstaffhadeachbeen discrimination inthepaymentofstaffperformancebonuses General BensomOkwaroreportedinSeptemberthattherewas Kenya: TheCommunicationWorkersUnion(COWU)Secretary Union membersfacepaydiscriminationatTelkom Employees wentonago-slowtoprotestagainstthesacking. officers hadaskedthenewmanagementtoincreasewages. the latestincidentstemmedfromameetinginwhichunion Kenya PlantationandAgriculturalWorkersUnion(KPAWU)said changed itsnametoTwigaRoses.FerdinandJumaofthe leading producerofroses,hadgoneintoreceivership,and of fourmonths’unpaidwages.Theflowerfarm,theworld’s including astrikeinFebruary2014todemandthepayment had beeninvolvedinalong-runningdisputeoverwages, own survival”. and describedtradeunionistsasindividuals“fightingfortheir reportedly warnedcountyworkersagainstjoiningtradeunions Kakamega Country,theHon.WycliffeeAmbetsaOparanya still beforethecourts.InSeptember2014Governorof Secretary ofCOTU.Atthetimewritingmatterwas the LabourMinistryowingtoitsdifferenceswithGeneral COTU believestheseallegationsaremerepropagandaby 2014 andearly2015onallegationsofcorruptionintheunions. reported thatthestatehadinvestigateditsaccountsinlate Attempts toharassandunderminetheunions:COTU them. of theagreementnotfurtheractionwastobetakenagainst teachers werearrestedduringthestrike,butunderterms unions whomayhaveparticipatedinthestrike.Several undertook nottovictimiseanyteacher,unionofficialorthe that teacherswereseeking.AspartoftheagreementTSC and industry(SECNAMI) sentalistofdemandstotheMinister time ofthestrike.In Aprilthetradeunioncommitteeformining salary arrears,asthey hadnotbeenpaidforfivemonthsby the social protection.Theirdemandsalsoincluded thepaymentof sector arehiredascontractlabour,and wereseekingbetter attitude tocollectivebargaining.Many of theworkersin strike, on3and4November2014,over thegovernment’s union: Contractworkersintheminingindustry alsowenton Minister triestoavoidcollectivebargainingwithminers’ reached anagreementattheendofOctober. government backtothenegotiatingtableandtheyeventually for asecondday.Thestrikedidhavetheeffectofforcing both Bamakoandaroundthecountrythatitwasextended wage andincometax.Thestrikewassowidelyfollowedin but notonfivekeydemandssuchasthelevelofminimum four days,agreementwasreachedonsomeoftheirdemands, to waituntilAugustsitdownatthenegotiatingtable.After seriously. TheunionhadtableditsdemandsinMay,yet frustration thatthegovernmentwasnottakingnegotiations UNTM, calledageneralstrikeon21August2014overits national centre:Theworkers’unionofMali,the Government triestoavoidcollectivebargainingwith MALI

4 51

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AFRICA 52 pay, andanendtounfairdismissals. to demands,datingback2013,fora payriseandovertime people tofaceupmanagementwhen itfailedtorespond working adayshift.Mr.Diallohadbeen oneofthefew supposed thefthadoccurredatnight,butMr.Diallowas had beenarrestedontrumpedupchargesoftheft.The workers’ union,KaramokoKané,believedthethreeworkers Dramane Diallo.TheGeneralSecretaryoftheMaliLaits.a. custody ofthreecolleagues,includingatradeunionofficial, 5 Septemberhadbeenheldtodemandthereleasefrom despite acheck-offagreement.Thestrikethatbeganon September, thecompanywithheldpaymentofuniondues, Mali, theUNTM,reportedthatfollowingastrikeatMaliLaitin over arrestofunionofficial:TheNationalWorkers’Union Union dueswithheldatmilkcompanyfollowingstrike term contracts. 20 February2015.Thehotelretaliatedbynotrenewingfixed patience andcalledathreedaystrikefrom18to all itsrequestsforchangestothedraft.Finallyunionlost definitive text,withoutconsultingthestaffunion,andignoring impose newrulesofprocedure,applyingtheinitialdraftasa hotel managementdidhoweverdecideithadthepowerto during theeventsof2012andhadnotbeenreplaced.The power”. ThegeneralmanagerhadreturnedhometoTunisia manager claimedhecouldnotdoanythingbecausehad“no colleagues, andnewrulesofprocedure.Theassistantgeneral bonuses fornightwork,apermanentcontractoneoftheir medical visits,fillingemptypoststhroughinternalpromotions, simplify matterstheyreducedtheirdemandstofivekeypoints, to negotiateasetofbasicdemandswiththemanagement.To The staffunionattheLaïcoElFaroukhotelspentyearstrying management’s failuretoengageincollectivebargaining: Hotel staffdismissedforgoingonstriketoprotestat workers. the situationpersistedtosackthemandreplacebyother threatened tocutthecontractworkers’salariesby50%andif to Mr.FofanatheFinanceMinister,Mrs.BouaréFilySissoko, not beenmet,andtheydecidedtocallthestrike.According financial support.ByNovembertheworkers’demandshadstill do anything,hewouldhavetowritetheFinanceMinistryfor Minister didfinallymeetwiththeunionhesaidcouldnot not beenpaid,nosolutionhadfound,andalthoughthe Cheich TidianiFofana.Threemonthslater,theworkershad he senthisheadofcabinet,saidtheunion’sGeneralSecrtary, for Mines,BoubouCissé,butinsteadofmeetingthemhimself

premises werelocked upandallactivitiessuspended. of stafftobeissuedterminationletters, whilethehotel other hotels,therebypavingthewayfor theover400members into darkness.Guestsstayingatthehotel werecheckedinto technician totamperwiththepower,plunging theentirehotel 26 January,ontheordersofMr.Otudeko, calledina meeting couldtakeplaceandonthenightofMonday Management promptlysackedthestaffconcernedbefore staff inLagoson27Januarytoaffiliatethemtheirunions. ahead andinvitedofficialsfromtheTUCNLCtovisit joining tradeunions,butmanagementobjected.Thestaffwent had informedthehotelweekbeforeoftheirintention Abe MakojuolaDaramola,ahousekeepingsupervisor,they According tothespokespersonofsackedhotelstaff, Congress (TUC)andtheNigerianLabour(NLC). Oba OtudekofollowingtheirattemptstojointheTradeUnion on Tuesday27January2015bytheChairmanofHotel, 400 membersofstaffattheRadisonBluHotelweresacked 400 hotelworkerssackedfortryingtojoinaunion:Over the tripartiteagreementreachedon13January2014. victimisation ofunionleadersandmembersinaccordancewith government tointerveneinorderbringanendthe they wouldnottolerateunionpresence.TheNLCcalledonthe that thecompaniesneededtoberestructuredandinsisted working conditions.IbadanandJoselectricitycompaniesargued in strikeactionsagainsttheoutsourcingofjobsandinadequate companies threatenedtodismiss5357workersforparticipating In April2014,newmanagementatelectricitydistribution threatened todismiss5357workers Management atelectricitydistributioncompanies their medicalallowancesandgratuitypay. the labourlaw.Workersalsocomplainedaboutnothavingreceived when theywanttoresignasopposedonemonthpursuant company policymanual,workersmustgivesixmonths’priornotice rights aslaidoutinthelabourlawMay2014.Accordingto new companypolicymanualthatdoesnotguaranteeworkers’ after theywentonastrikeoverpoorworkingconditionsandthe the JointActionFront,VolkswagenNigeriadismissed25workers Volkswagen Nigeriadismissed25workers:Accordingto NIGERIA

| 5 the ChairmanandSecretaryofunion werearrested. organise ademonstration.Insteadofbeinggivenpermission and sotheyappliedtothepolicebegivenpermission on paper.Nothingwasdonetoresolvetheirsituationhowever union hadwrittentothegovernmentandmadeseveralprotests they hadnotbeenpaidsinceMayandweregoinghungry.The organising astrike.Theworkershadbeenonstrikebecause Hospital (ABSUTH),Aba,werearrestedinOctober2014for of Nigeria(MHWUN)attheAbiaStateUniversityTeaching Two representativesoftheMedicalandHealthWorkers’Union Hospital workersleadersarrestedfororganisingstrike: the transferanddismissalofunionleaders. conditions, casualisationandunfairlabourpractices,notably December 2014overmanyissues,includingunsafeworking problems remained,leadingtostrikeactioninSeptemberand Although theIPMANleadershipcrisiswasresolvednumerous the protractedcrisisinIPMAN. negotiate conditionsofserviceforitsmembersasaresult voice totheprotest,pointingoutthatithadnotbeenable The PetrolStationWorkers(PSW)BranchofNUPENGaddedits with IPMANhadrefusedtorecognisethecourtruling. Obasi LawsonastheIPMANPresident,butopposingfactions and thefederalHighcourtinPortHarcourthaddeclaredChief The DepartmentofStateSecurityServiceshadintervened Diezani Allison-Maduekeoffailingtotaketheissueseriously. positive results.ItaccusedtheMinisterofPetroleum,Mrs. State SecurityServicesaskingthemtointervene,withoutany the NigerianNationalPetroleumCorporation(NNPC)and The unionhadwrittenseveralletterstothefederalgovernment, to unioniseworkersinIPMANdepots. previous leadershipofIPMANhadfrustratedtheunion'sefforts be implementedduetotheleadershipcrisisinIPMAN.The Independent MarketersBranchtenyearsearlierwasyetto the collectivebargainingagreementsignedwithIPMANand Nigeria (IPMAN).NUPENGPresident,IgweAchese,notedthat within theIndependentPetroleumMarketersAssociationof Government tointerveneintheprotractedleadershipcrisis and NaturalGasWorkers(NUPENG)urgedtheFederal industry: On30May2014theNigeriaUnionofPetroleum Collective bargainingstalledfortenyearsintheoil refrain fromdoing,any act.”Theterms“nationalsecurity” and section ofthepublic; orcompeltheGovernment…todo, be regardedasbeing intendedtointimidatethepublicora and isintended,orbyitsnaturecontext, mayreasonably that “involvesprejudicetonationalsecurity orpublicsafety… Terrorism Actdefinesterrorismextremely broadlyasanact 2014 buthavenotyetbeenconsidered. TheSuppressionof were submittedfortheconsiderationof ParliamentinFebruary activists remaininjailandhavebeenrefusedbail.Amendments student leadersMaxwellDlaminiandMarioMasuku.Both who spokeatTUCOSWA’sMayDaycelebration,including the ActwasusedinMay2014toarrestandchargeactivists legitimise interferenceintradeunionactivities.Forexample, activities: PoliceusetheSuppressionofTerrorismActto Suppression ofTerrorismActusedtostoptradeunion them.” out thattheyarefromyourconstituencyyoumuststrangle where theyaregoingandoncecomebackyoufind “They leaveyourconstituenciesanddonoteveninformyou made thefollowingstatementduringaspeechinParliament: Leaders’ SummitinWashingtonDC.PrimeMinisterDlamini Ncongwane becauseoftheirparticipationintheUSAfrica for HumanRightsandTUCOSWAGeneralSecretaryVincent Dlamini, publiclythreatenedSiphoGumedzefromtheLawyers 2014, thePrimeMinisterofSwaziland,SibusisoBarnabas Prime ministerthreatenstradeunionists:InAugust federations, inviolationofinternationallabourstandards. announced animmediatebanonalltradeunionandemployer last remainingabsolutemonarchs.TheSwazigovernment a fundcontrolledbyKingMswatiIII,whoisoneoftheworld’s with theremaining25%ownedbyTibiyoTakaNgwane, investment armoftheANC,owns75%Malomamine, to water,toiletsandmedicalfacilities.ChancellorHouse,the During thestrike,managementrefusedworkersaccess with riotshields,protectiveheadgear,gunsandteargas. was peaceful,theworkersweresurroundedbypoliceequipped observed bythestrikingworkers,andeventhoughstrike Unions ofSwaziland(ATUSWA).Alllegalrequirementswere over aUS$72housingallowancewiththeAmalgamatedTrade 24 November,aftertheminemanagementrefusedtonegotiate ANC-owned mine:Some250workerswentonstrike Heavily armedpoliceintimidatestrikingworkersat SWAZILAND | 5 53

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AFRICA 54 ill-feelings withinthe nationareprohibited.” similar bodiesthatcultivateandbringabout disturbancesand all governmentandpublicservices[…] Politicalpartiesand been postedtoallstrategicplacesand have takenchargeof forces inconjunctionwiththeSwaziland royalpolicehave maintenance ofpeace,orderandgood government,myarmed ministers. Ifurtherdeclarethat,toensurethecontinued in collaborationwithacouncilconstitutedbymycabinet is vestedinmyselfandshall,forthemeantime,beexercised Swaziland andthatalllegislative,executivejudicialpower whole nationIhaveassumedsupremepowerinthekingdomof collaboration withmycabinetministersandsupportedbythe “I, SobhuzaII,kingofSwazilandherebydeclarethat,in bodies. and atthesametimecriminalisedpoliticalpartiessimilar 1973 andvestedtheKingSobhuzaIIwithabsolutepowers liberties. TheKing’sProclamationwasdecreedon12April of 1973anditsimpactonfreedomassociationcivil by broadercivilsocietygroupsagainsttheKing’sProclamation a peacefulprotestmarchorganisedbyTUCOSWAandattended Police interferedinapeacefulprotest: imprisonment”. and theirlackofremorseorregretjustifylengthysentences that “seriousnessoftheircrimes,moralblameworthiness sentence on25July2014.JudgeMpenduloSimelaneargued to twoyearsimprisonmentinsteadoftheordinary30-day charged with“contemptofcourt”,thejudgeconvictedthem in custody.WhileThulaniMasekoandBhekiMakhubuwere when theStateappealedrulingandarethereforeagain for twodays.However,theywererearrestedanddetained before theHighCourt,resultingintheirreleasefromcustody the arrest,detentionandchargeswassuccessfullychallenged and independenceoftheSwazilandjudiciary.Thelegality inspector BhantshanaGwebuandtheintegrity,impartiality circumstances surroundingthearrestofgovernmentvehicle 18 March2014respectivelyforwritingarticlesaboutthe editor BhekiMakhubuwerearrestedon17March2014and Human rightslawyerThulaniMasekoandtheNationMagazine Thulani MasekoandBhekiMakhubuimprisoned: decision subjecttojudicialreview. classification oforganisationsas“terrorist”withoutmakingthis the actaffordsMinisterabsolutediscretionover in addition,theelementofintentionisnotrequired.Moreover, these conceptscapableofbroad,subjectiveinterpretationbut, to wideandpotentiallysubjectiveinterpretation.Notonlyare “public safety”arenotthemselvesdefined,leavingthemopen result oftheprolongeddetention. Swaziland, hasbeendeprivedfromhisrighttoeducationasa in detention.MrDlamini,whoisastudentattheUniversityof suffers fromdiabetesandcaughtpneumoniaduringhistime was deniedtwiceeventhoughMrMasukuis65yearsold, a verdicthasstillnotbeendelivered.Theirapplicationforbail guilty. Morethanoneyearhaspassedsincetheirarrestbut facing upto15yearsofhardlabourinprison,iftheyarefound this system,wedon'twantsystem.”Now,theymaybe and chantedtheslogans“VivaPUDEMO”“Wedon'twant with respecttothesocio-economicgovernanceofcountry speeches, MrMasukuandDlaminiaddressedquestions 2014 MayDaycelebrationsorganisedbyTUCOSWA.Intheir of TerrorismAct(2008)afterdeliveringaspeechduringthe Congress werearrestedandchargedundertheSuppression Maxwell Dlamini,SecretaryGeneraloftheSwazilandYouth Imprisonment: MarioMasuku,PresidentofPUDEMO,and Private andPublic,TransportWorkersUnion,BhekiDludlu. Union, QuintonDlamini,andtheGeneralSecretaryof the PresidentofNationalPublicServicesandAlliedWorkers at nighttogetthenearestpublicroad.Amongstthemwere remote placeswithsomehavingtotravellongdistancesonfoot leading toManzini,detainedandlaterdroppedthemoffin all thevarioussecuritycheckpointsmountedonroadblocks Manzini. Thepolicefurtherarrestedothergroupsofworkersat transferred totheMafutsenipolicestation20kilometersfrom denied accesstolegalrepresentation.VincentNcongwanewas were detainedattheManzinipoliceheadquartersand roadblock mountedatMhlaleniinManzinion12April.They TUCOSWA DeputyPresident,werearrestedatasecurity Ncongwane, TUCOSWAGeneralSecretary,andSiphoKunene, Park toStTheresaHallinManzinion12April2014.VincentV. threatened.” ThemarchwasintendedtoproceedfromJubilee contentious dateonwhichpeaceandstabilityinthecountryis federation permissionbystatingthat“April12isonemost 4 April2014theManziniMunicipalCouncildenied TUCOSWA requestedpermissiontoholdamarchbuton held ameetingwith themanagementofNewFairmount 14 May2014theZambia CongressofTradeUnions(ZCTU) Hotels refusingto allowworkerstojoinunions:On ZAMBIA | 5 received thecomplaints fromtheworkersandpromisedto Sources fromtheLabour MinistryinKabweconfirmedhaving Zambia UnionofTechnical andAlliedWorkers(ZUTAW). threatened todismissallworkerswhowere affiliatedtothe In 2013thecompanybannedunionmembership and permanent jobcreation. creating ahugepoolofcasualworkers asawayofavoiding K59 andK187perweek.Theyaccusedthecompanyof as casualworkersforoverfouryearsandweregettingbetween Some ofthedismissedworkersreportedthattheyhadworked managers toverballyabuseworkers. which hasbeenaccusedofpayingslavewagesandallowing demanding decentwagesfromthepharmaceuticalcompany in Kabwefiredover40workersattheendofOctober2014for demanding decentwages:TheInternationalDrugCompany International DrugCompany(IDC)firesworkersfor dismissal. of failingtofollowtheestablishedprocedureinhandlingtheir recognised unionandaccusedmanagementatthecompany Siamanenga describedtheactionasintimidationofalegally secretary, andAlfredKwale,auniontrustee.Comment secretary KebbyMuchelemba,KalalukaMutukwa,afinancial Siamanenga, hisvice-chairJosephLungu,administrative Those dismissedweretheunionchairman,Comment management. Eight othermemberswerehandedfinalwarninglettersby at thecompanyinApriltodemandfairworkingconditions. summary dismissallettersfollowingthestrikethattookplace workers togoonanillegalstrike.Thefiveofficialswerehanded (NUPAW) officialsinmid-June2014forallegedlyincitingfellow dismissed fiveNationalUnionofPlantationandAlliedWorkers strike: Management attheNangaSugarCompanyinMazabuka Sugar companyfiredfiveunionofficialsfororganisinga exercise theirfreedomofassociation. also applysanctionstothemiftheyfailedallowworkers to allowthembelongatradeunion,andthattheywould the countrythatwereviolatingtheirworkers’rightsbyrefusing Mwaba alsowarnedthattherewereotherhospitalityentitiesin warning appearstohaveworked.ZCTUGeneralSecretaryRoy the hotelanymoreifitcontinueditsanti-unionstance.The conferences, buttheZCTUwouldinstructunionsnottouse unions. Tradeunionsoftenusedthehotelforworkshopsand gave itafive-dayultimatumtoallowworkerssignup refused toallowitsworkersjointradeunions.TheZCTU workers toformorjointradeunions.Thehotelhadhitherto Hotel, Livingstone,warningthemthattheymustallowtheir MUZ, PreciousMasaba. workers thatremaineddismissedwerethebranchchairmanof had reinstatedeightofthedismissedworkers.Amongstsix company andwasnotifiedon10Februarythatthe challenged thedismissalsinlightofassurancegivenby were dismissedforallegedlyincitingthestrike.TheMUZ issues raisedbyworkers.Howeveron29January,14workers after thestrikeandthatareportwouldbepreparedon assured theMinisterthatnoworkerswouldbedisciplined unionists visitedtheminefollowingstrike.Thecompany A delegationincludingtheLabourCommissionerandtrade the mine. for areductionintheexorbitanthousingrentalcostschargedby a health facility for thosethatareillorinjured.Theyalsocalled They demandedthatthemineprovidetransportto compassion. in aremoteareaandworkerswereangeredatthelackof transport adeceasedworkertomortuary.Themineislocated downed toolsatKalumbilaminetherefusalofFQMto dismissed fortheirroleinthestrike.InearlyJanuary,workers after thecompanygaveassurancethatnoworkerswouldbe strike atamineownedbyFirstQuantumMinerals(FQM) on groundsofincitingandparticipatinginanunprotected Union ofZambia(MUZ)werefiredattheendJanuary2015 over healthcareaccess:SixmembersoftheMineworkers First QuantumMineralsdismissworkersforstriking industrial area. undertake afactfindingmissiontotheplantlocatedin ZCTU membersduring thenation-widedemonstrationin members ofRobert Mugabe’s ZANU-PFattemptedtointimidate ZANU-PF interference indemonstration:On11April2015, notified policeaboutthemarchsevendays inadvance. and registrationnumbersofvehiclesto beused.Theunionhad Public ServiceCommission,providedetails ofthemarchers demanding thePTUZtoproduceaclearance letterfromthe Right toStrikecalledbytheITUC.Policeblockedmarch permitted toholdamarchontheGlobalDayofActionfor Progressive Teachers’UnionofZimbabwe(PTUZ)wasnot March blockedbypolice:On18February2015,the ZIMBABWE | 5 55

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AFRICA 56 complaint with the Labour Court. complaint withtheLabourCourt. minority ofworkers.On19February2015,ZFTAWUfileda registration onthegroundsthatuniononlyrepresenteda On 9January2015,theregistrarmadeadecisiondenying new unionbutZFTAWUneverreceivedtheopposingpapers. Shoe andAlliedWorkersUnionopposedtheregistrationof Gazette GeneralNotice379/2013.TheZimbabweLeather application forregistrationwaspublishedinthegovernment Workers’ Union(ZFTAWU).On2August2013,thenoticeof a newunioncentre,theZimbabweFootwearTannersandAllied Zimbabwe LeatherShoeandAlliedWorkersUnionformed Company basedinGweruwithdrewtheirmembershipfromthe Union registration:In2012,850workersatBataShoe agreements. subscriptions totheunions–allcontraryexistingcollective of workers’salaries,andthefailuretopassonmembership introduce labourmarketflexibility,thenonorlatepayment workers, includingthedecisiontofreezeandcutsalaries, demonstrations aimedtohighlightarangeofissuesaffecting as ZANU-PFbesiegedtheregionalofficesinBulawayo.The ZCTU membershadtolockthemselvesinsidetheunionbuilding the protestshadbeencancelledwithfalsesignatures.Some Bulawayo andGwerudistributedflyerswhichclaimedthat 57

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AMERICAS 58 region (Thematic Labour Overview:Transitionto 130 millionworkers ininformalemploymentthe level ofinformalemployment.There arestillaround socio-economic inequalityandthe exceedingly high The region’sstructuraldefectliesin thehighlevelof linked totradeunionrights. facing thecountriesofAmericasaredirectly The political,economicandsocialchallenges against workerstakingpartinstrikeaction. in theformofadministrativeandcriminalproceedings worrying riseinthecriminalisationoftradeunionaction, Several countriesintheregionarealsowitnessinga environment. are abletocarryouttheirtradeunionactivitiesinasafe are blatantlyneglectingtheirdutytoensurethatworkers attempted murdersandphysicalattacks.Governments for crimesagainsttradeunionists,includingkillings, Honduras, thereissystematicandwidespreadimpunity In somecountries,likeColombia,Guatemalaand bargaining rights. the exerciseoffreedomassociationandcollective against tradeunionistsandlegislativereformsimpeding as anti-uniontransfersanddismissals,legalactions the livesandphysicalintegrityoftradeunionists,aswell the sceneofrepeatedmurders,threatsandattackson The vastmajorityofthecountriesoncontinentare rights. dangerous regionsfortheexerciseoftradeunion The Americascontinuestobeoneofthemost AMERICAS PART II// regions withamajor challenge:thatofensuring the the peoplesandnations ofperipheralanddependent countries acrosstheglobesince2008 haspresented profound economic,socialandpolitical crisisaffecting issue thattranscendsallterritorialboundaries. The The offensivewagedbyneoliberal forces isacrucial defending inupcomingdiscussions. system ofstandards–apositionitintendstocontinue position infavouroftherighttostrikeandILO and CaribbeanGroup(GRULAC),whichadopteda from theworkersandTUCA,ofLatinAmerican workers oftheworld,andresponse,underpressure the righttostrikeasahumanenjoyedbyall violent attackbyneoliberalglobalismontheILOand A clearreflectionofthissituationcanbefoundinthe able tocarryouttheirtradeunionactivities. and, aboveall,ensuringasafeclimateforworkerstobe of workers,promotingrespectforfreedomassociation showing particularconcernforstrengtheningthe position policies” gearedtowardsreducinginequalitiesare By contrast,thegovernmentsadopting“post-neoliberal permitting theriseininequalitiesandsocialexclusion. freedoms. Itis,indeed,thesegovernmentsthatare guarantees fortheexerciseoftradeunionrightsand protection forworkers,arethoseprovidingtheleast the roleofstateandreducingoreliminating The governmentspursuingneoliberalpolicies,limiting adequately tothevariousdemandsoftheirsocieties. on thecontinent,withstateauthoritiesfailingtorespond serious crisisofpoliticallegitimacyinmostthestates There isacleargovernancecrisisand,consequently, exercise theirrighttoorganiseandcollectivebargaining. health andeducationtheirinabilitytoeffectively due tothelimitationsonboththeiraccessquality 2014). Theyareexposedtoarangeofvulnerabilities Formality inLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean.ILO, the socialandpoliticaldirectiontakenoncontinent. people, notthecorporationsormultinationals,determine seeks toconsolidatemechanismsguaranteeingthatthe environmental andpoliticaldimensions.ThePLADA It isavisionthatintegrateseconomic,social, intergenerational equityandenvironmentalprotection. negotiations, socialprotectionandinclusionforall, giving prioritytocombiningforcesininternational democracy, genderequalityandregionalintegration, of decentwork,thedistributionwealth,participatory from atradeunionperspectivereaffirmstheprinciples The visionofdevelopmentthattheTUCAisbuilding inclusive development. environmentally andeconomicallysustainable,socially respect fortherighttofreedomofassociation,with building realdemocracieswithsocialjusticeandfull the Americas(PLADA)asapolicyinstrumentfor has beenpromotingtheDevelopmentPlatformfor the TradeUnionConfederationofAmericas(TUCA) imbalances intheregion.Itiswiththisaimmindthat this contexttotacklethecausesbehindstructural acknowledges thefundamentalroleitneedstoplayin The tradeunionmovementoftheAmericas corporate interests. under immensepressurefromgovernmentsand workers andordinarycitizens,ashasbeenhappening cost ofovercomingthisnewcrisisisnotbornebythe 59

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AMERICAS 60 SYSTEMATIC VIOLATIONS REGULAR VIOLATIONS NO GUARANTEE OF RIGHTS OF RIGHTS OF RIGHTS | | | 3 4 5

The Ten Worst Countries Valledupar, asshow intheregistrationfiledwithLabour Drummond, formed abranchoftheSINTRAIMEMunionin which is,inturn,acontractor fortheminingmultinational Dimantec andTrateccol,companiessubcontracted byGecolsa, Collective bargainingviolations:In2012,workersat joined thetradeunionSINTRASODIMAC. following thepressureplacedonJuliana Ramírezaftershe Sodimac ColombiaS.A.,ongroundsofanti-unionpersecution, In June2014,anapplicationforprotectionwasfiledagainst to constitutionalprotectionandshouldbereinstated. formed. Itwasruledthatthedismissedworkerswereentitled MDF S.A.S.,claimeditwasunawarethataunionhadbeen members wereunfairlydismissed.Thecompany,Tablemac formed andon1Julyitspresidentseveraloffounding On 29June2014,theSINTRATABLEMACtradeunionwas through theordinarychannels. not grantedandtheunionhadtoappealagainstdismissals dismissed bythecompanywithoutdueprocess.Protectionwas applied forprotectionundertheconstitutionafterbeing ASOTRAEMTELCO, representingworkersatEmtelcoS.A., Marcela GonzálezLópez,membersofthetradeunion In December2014,WilliamdeJesúsMuñozZeaandLina Violations offreedomassociation:anti-uniondismissals process underway. work andtoobstructtheprogressofcollectivebargaining make himlooklikeacriminal,todelegitimisehistradeunion is anotherattempttoharmhimandhisreputationbytrying failed tomeettheirobjectiveonthatoccasion,thiscriminalploy been thevictimofanattackbyhiredassassinsin2013.Having was placedinhisluggagetoframehim.RafaelRodríguezhad the devicefounditswayintohisluggage.Heclaimedthatit grenade wasfoundinhishandluggage.Hehadnoideahow where hewasgoingtotakepartinnegotiations,ahand through airportsecuritybeforetakingtheplanetoBogota, Barrancabermeja. RafaelRodríguezexplainedthatwhengoing arrested on21July2014,atYariguíesairportinthecityof negotiations beingheldwiththeoilcompanyEcopetrol,was Sindical Obrera(USO)andtheunion’srepresentativein Arrests: RafaelRodríguez,branchtreasureroftheUnión COLOMBIA | 5 driver whohappened tobepassingbywasshotintheleg. one, whowasdetained. Twoothersmanagedtoflee.Abus returned fire,killing oneoftheattackersandinjuringanother The bodyguardassignedtoprotectthe trade unionleader motorbikes on17June2014inMedellin. Hewasunharmed. of Sinaltrainal,wasthetargetanattack byhitmenon Onofre Esquivel,vicepresidenttheBugalagrande branch Assassination attemptagainstSinaltrainalleader:José fired bythebodyguarddefendingtradeunionleader. killed inthereturnfire,reportedlyhitchestbyabullet the hitmen,whocarriedoutattackfromamotorbike,was The incidenttookplaceon16May2014inCartagena.Oneof workers, groupedwithinUGTIBolívar. drive toorganiseandmobiliseCartagena’sinformaleconomy of CUTBolívarforsixyears.Heisalsoknownheadingthe Educadores deBolívar,andhasbeenthegeneralsecretary Plazas Vélezisateacher,memberoftheSindicatoÚnicode reaction ofhisbodyguard. injured inanassassinationattempt,thankstothetimely Bolívar: TradeunionleaderLuisAlbertoPlazasVélezwas Assassination attemptagainstgeneralsecretaryofCUT work ofequalvalue”. union andlabourrights,aswelltherightto“equalpayfor unionised workersisablatantviolationofthemostbasictrade government. Thisclearandopenactofdiscriminationagainst would receivethe4.5%risestipulatedbynational former wassetat3.6%whilethenon-unionisedemployees unionised andnon-unionisedworkers.Thepayriseforthe pay riseforthe2014/2015periodwouldnotbesame decided thatsincenocollectiveagreementwasinplace,the 2013, andatthebeginningof2014Dimantecarbitrarily bargaining throughout2013.Theseincidentstookplaceduring the right”andusedthisargumenttodelaystartofcollective responded bysayingthattheunion’sactionwas“anabuseof negotiations wouldbeheldwithasinglecompany.Dimantec of demandsandtopresentitDimantecalone,sothatthe absorb Trateccol,promptingtheuniontowithdrawitsinitiallist working forGecolsaassubcontractors.wentonto had beenpresentedtoTrateccolandDimantec,whichwere its memberstovoteonstrikeaction.Thelistofdemands would nottakeplaceandconsequentlydecidedtoconvene The uniondecidedinageneralmeetingthatarbitration Negotiations wereinitiatedbutnoagreementwasreached. the unionpresenteditslistofdemands,inNovember2013. for thefirstcollectivebargainingagreement(2012–2013), Ministry on28March2012.Onreachingthedeadlineset manufacturing sector. aspirations. Thispracticeisparticularlywidespreadinthe leaders andtoforcetradeunionistsrenouncetheirlegitimate them, arecreatingalliancestothreatenandattacktradeunion are, inprinciple,intimidatedbythegangstoextortmoneyfrom labour andtradeuniondisputeswasintensified.Employerswho During 2014and2015,theuseofcriminalgangstostop confiscation ofgoods. the NationalCivilPoliceoftensupportsevictionsand Service oftheRepublicdoesnotapplylaw.Inaddition, the importancetheydeserve,andPublicProsecution municipalities donotgiveself-employedandinformalworkers the HumanRightsOmbudsmanarenotbinding.Asaresult, such channelsarenotthereforetakenonboard.Therulingsof the LabourMinistryoranyotherstatebody;complaintsthrough Sonsonate andAhuachapan.Theunionsarenotprotectedby metropolitan policeontheordersofMunicipalCouncils adults andtheelderlyhadtheirgoodsconfiscatedby de ElSalvadorcameundersystematicattack.Youngpeople, the SindicatodeTrabajadoresyVendedoresIndependientes Trabajadores VendedoresIndependientesdeSonsonateand The self-employedandinformalworkers’unionsSindicatode negotiations andtogivetradeunionleave. local authoritiesrefusedtocontinuewithcollectivebargaining the tradeunionshirtinMunicipalityofSanMartín.Both Trade unionrepresentativeswerealsosanctionedforwearing at work,obligingworkerstodosooutsideofworkinghours. San Martínprohibitedthedistributionoftradeunionbulletins During 2014and2015,themunicipalauthoritiesofApopa their employerswithin thecontextofadisputeoverfailure 2014, workerswere physicallyassaultedandthreatenedby Violations oftheright tolifeandintegrity:InAugust EL SALVADOR GUATEMALA | | 3 5 61

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AMERICAS 62 There havebeenno resultsfromtheinvestigationtodate. Prosecution Service,undercasenumber MP086-2014-1528. the incident.Thefileiscurrentlyin hands ofthePublic Prosecutor’s Officeofthedepartment Sololátoinvestigate made totheDistrictPublicProsecution ServiceofthePublic at 4.30a.m.on28June2014.On21 July, arequestwas unknown assailantstwohundredmetresawayfromhishome, y SimilaresdelMercadoMunicipaldeSololáwasmurderedby of themarketworkers’unionSindicatoGremialdeVendedores Joaquín ChiroyyChiroy,founderanddeputygeneralsecretary 7 July2014. la MunicipalidaddeZacapa(SITRAMUZAC),waskilledon Zacapa municipalworkers’unionSindicatodeTrabajadores Gabriel EnriqueCiramaguaRuiz,organisingsecretaryofthe then carriedoutthekillingonreachingasecludedarea. in Jutiapa,wasmurdered.Twoindividualsrequestedarideand Servicio PúblicodeCiudadPedroAlvarado(SITRASEPUCPA), Esteban, fromtheSindicatodeTrabajadoresdelTransporteen On 11May2014,transportunionleaderLuisArnoldoLópez posts. months’ wagesowedtothemafterbeingreinstatedtheir campaigning topressthemunicipalauthoritypayseven dead between25Marchand8April2014.Theyhadbeen Sindicato deTrabajadoresMunicipalesJalapawereshot Three membersoftheJalapamunicipalworkers’union the workers’wife,leavingherseriouslyinjured. remove theworkerandhisfamily.Whilstdoingso,heranover sums stillowedtotheworkersasawholeandtriedforcefully the plantation.Theemployerrespondedbyrefusingtopay constitutional rightsandguarantees”,occupyingashedon his right“toresistancefortheprotectionanddefenceof This desperatesituationledoneoftheworkerstoexercise of October,onlyaportiontheamountsowedhadbeenpaid. it committedtosettlingtheoutstandingpayments.Atend signed adocumentdrawnupbytheLabourMinistry,whereby On 30September2014,thecompany’slegalrepresentative investigations. 2015, theyhadstillnotreceivedanynotificationregardingthe a complaintwiththePublicProsecutor’sOffice.ByMarch from thecompany.On7August2014,workersfiled subsequently accusedtheworkersoftryingtoextortmoney y SantaElena(FEFLOSAS.A.).TheGeneralLabourInspectorate number ofworkersatPlantacionesdeCaféelFerrol,laFlorida to settleoutstandingpaymentsandtheunfairdismissalofa 24 April. company retaliatedbysuspendingthemfromtheirpostson number ofworkersdecidedtorefusedoovertime.The agreement issigned.Inresponsetothisdiscrimination,a unionised workersarebeingmadetowaituntilthecollective members. Thecompanygavepayrisestotheformerwhile post, areconsidered“trustworthy”andthosethatunion of workersatthecompany,thosewho,regardlesstheir S.A. (SITRAABASA),announcingthattherearetwogroups Sindicato deTrabajadoresAlimentosyBebidasAtlántida Coca Colalaunchedastrongmediacampaigntodiscreditthe Coca Colasuspendsunionisedworkers:InApril2014, bargaining rights. families andthecompanies’constantviolationsofcollective to surviveinspiteoftheviolencesufferedbyitsmembersand north, theworkersformedSITRABI.Thisunionhasmanaged region owingtotheviolenceandthreatsreceived.In impossible toformtradeunionorganisationsinthesouthern day, withouthealthorsocialsecuritycoverage.Ithasproved workers, however,earnaroundUS$12.9fora12hourworking generating hugeprofitsforthecompaniesinsector.The Guatemala wastheworld’ssecondlargestbananaexporter, integrity oftheirworkersforseveralyears.In2013and2014, union rightsviolationsaswellattacksonthephysical Guatemala havebeenthesceneofseriouslabourandtrade The bananaplantationareasinthenorthandsouthof Concepción Chiquirichapa. body wasfoundon6January2014inthemunicipalityof the youngtradeunionists’networkinQuetzaltenango.His Guatemala (SINCSG),astudentandanactivememberof Nacional deTrabajadoreslaConstrucciónyServicios López, agedjust19.MarlonwasamemberoftheSindicato murder ofyoungtradeunionistMarlonDagobertoVásquez Young tradeunionistmurdered:TheITUCdenouncedthe to attendaninformative meetingcalledon4July2014by the in thedepartmentof Cortés,forabandoningtheirclassrooms Education Secretarysuspendedfiveteachers, fortwomonths, Teachers suspendedforattending a meeting:The HONDURAS | 4 employees oftheHonduran InstituteforChildrenandFamilies Eradication oftrade unionatIHNFA:OnSeptember2014, privatising theinstitution. Private Partnerships,whichitseesasa possiblemovetowards to thecreationofCommissionfor PromotionofPublic- that theactsofharassmentarerooted in theunion’sopposition Jorge Chavarría,theSITRADEIhumanrights secretary,stated union’s executivemembersarestillunderway. meetings. Inaddition,thelegalproceedingsdisqualifying and suspendedemployeesforholdingtwo-hourinformation time offtoattendmedicalappointmentsandhasreprimanded that themanagementwasrefusingtoallowunionmembers (SITRADEI), whichhas1,300membersnationwide,denounced Sindicato deTrabajadoreslaDirecciónEjecutivaIngresos trade unionattheExecutiveDirectorateofRevenueCollections, Harassment oftradeunionistsatDEI:InJune2014,the • • the Hondurangovernment: The ITUChadbeenalertedtothefollowingmeasurestakenby persecution oftradeunionorganisations. the Hondurangovernmentoverintensificationof the ITUCrequestedILOOfficetourgentlyintervenewith Persecution oftradeunionorganisations:InJune2014, SITRAHONDUCOR hadbeenfrozenbydecree. of SITRAINCHSA,SITRAIHNFA,SITRAEPSOTRAVIand 2014, theITUCwasnotifiedthatcollectiveagreements Collective agreementsfrozenbydecree:InJune Básico EusebioFiallos. the EscuelaLeopoldoAguilar,anddirectorofCentro director oftheInstitutoUniónyEsfuerzo,ReinaldoInestroza Técnico enAdministracióndeEmpresas(INTAE),WilsonMejía, Instituto JoséTrinidadReyes,Alas,directorofthe The teacherssuspendedareJoséCarballo,directorofthe Magisteriales deHonduras(FOMH). Honduran teachers’federationFederacióndeOrganizaciones Saravia andJorgeTopilzhinAguilar. leaders, includingAraceliGranadosSosa,MarcoAntonio (fuero sindical)werewithdrawnfromseveraltradeunion The specialmeasuresprotectingtradeunionrepresentatives COLPROSUMA. SITRADEI, SITRAUNAH,SIEHPE,PRICMA,SINPRODOand the SindicatoMunicipaldeSanPedroSula,SIDEYTMP, Intervention inseveraltradeunionorganisations,suchas Ruiz Moreno,Orlando MendozaGuardiolaandOscarArturo abusive reprisalsfor organising.Threeworkers,Marisol part oftheFiatChrysler Group,arefightingbackagainst Teksid HierroinMonclova,CiudadFrontera, Coahuila,Mexico, Teksid workersambushedandbeaten up:Workersat locally andinotherregionsofMexico. impossible fordismissedworkersandtheir familiestofindwork complicit locallabourauthoritiesmakingitpractically company’s actionsincluding“companyblacklisting”and Workers currentlyfacehugehardshipasaresultofthe independent union. negotiated agreementofa19%wageincreasebythis glass workers’union(SUTEIVP).Theydidsofollowingthe the entireexecutivecommitteeofIndustriALL-affiliated On 26January2008,Vidrierasacked220workersincluding Arbitration BoardatthebeginningofApril2014. AB InBev)asaresultoftherulingConciliationand Industria VidrieradelPotosí(asubsidiaryofGrupoModelo- have beenfightingforjusticesince2008wonreinstatementat jobs andtheirrightsfullyrestored.These33workerswho workers continuetoinsistonreinstatementtheirformer InBev violatesworkers´rightsinMexico:Thirtythree (SNTMMSRM). decision tojointheMexicanMiners’andMetalworkers’Union company tocomplywithILOConvention87andrespecttheir working conditions.Theworkers’maindemandisforthe 350 workerswentonstrike3June2014forbetter Matamoros carriedoutmassdismissalsinMexicoafter Steel companydismissesstrikingworkers:CB&I and fivechildren. of themwerethemainearnerinfamilywithbetweenthree eradicate theunion,as1,100employeesweredismissed;70% (SITRAIHFA), themainaimofgovernmentmeasurewasto According totheSindicatodeTrabajadoresdelIHNFA by theNationalDirectorateofChildrenandFamilies(DINAF). (IHNFA) denouncedtheinstitution’sclosureanditsreplacement MEXICO | 4 63

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AMERICAS 64 workers. to thelackofjobsecurityortheirstatusasself-employed subcontracting, whichpreventworkersfromorganisingdue in thepracticesofhiringthroughemploymentagenciesand In theColonfreetradezone,therehasbeenamarkedincrease them withvirtuallynotradeunionandlabourrightsinpractice. Constitutional Courtdeniedthemthisrightin2010,leaving conditions butcannotexercisetherighttostrikegiventhat The PanamaCanalworkersaredemandingbetterworking the existingunions. obliging ittonegotiateasanindependententitythroughoneof the SupremeCourthaddeniedtradeunion’sregistration, a collectivebargainingprocessinitiatedbytheunion.In2008, freeze allofitsassets.Thisactionwastakeninthecontext suspend thetradeunion’srecognition,andtoconfiscate The ACPappealedtotheSupremeCourtimmediately Oficiales deCubierta(UCOC)asatradeunionorganisation. Relations BoardtorecognisetheUnióndeCapitanesand decided toappealthedecisionbyPanamaCanalLabour On 22December2014,thePanamaCanalAuthority(ACP) measures placedontheunionleadersremaininforce. have beenhaltedbuttherestrictiveandprecautionary capacity building.AsofMarch2015,thelegalproceedings misappropriation offundsgrantedbythestatefortradeunion brought bythepreviousLabourMinisterin2012foralleged against ninetradeunionleaders.Thechargeshadbeen On 25July2014,theLabourMinisterwithdrewcharges with managementandlabourauthoritieson21April2014. beaten by80-100hiredthugs,whilecomingoutofameeting Rodríguez Ponce,weresackedon18Apriland11more PANAMA | 3 protest againstthe campaign ofanti-unionpersecutionbeing On 8July2014,teachers’ tradeunionsheldadayofpeaceful • • • • • • • • • • • • • The organisationsaffectedare: Paraguay. InMarch2015,thesituationremainedunchanged. at least13tradeunionorganisationsandfederationsin During 2013and2014,theLabourMinistryrefusedtoregister (SINASEVIG-ANNP) Administración NacionaldeNavegación yPuertos Sindicato AuténticodeSeguridadyVigilancia dela Sindicato AuténticodeTrabajadoresMunicipales (SINATRAM) Sindicato deTrabajadoreslaAzucareraIturbe(SITRAAISA) (SITRAPREN) Sindicato NacionaldeTrabajadoreslaPrensa (SINTRAFOG) Sindicato deFuncionariosyEmpleadosdelFondoGanadero Binacional YASYRETA(SIFUSEBY) Sindicato deFuncionariosSeguridadlaEntidad Sindicato deArteyCulturadelParaguay Contraloría GeneraldelaRepública(SINGRUCOG) Sindicato deFuncionariosGraduadosUniversitariosla Civil eHidroeléctricadelAltoParaná(STICCAP) Sindicato deTrabajadoreslaIndustriaConstrucción (FETRABAN) Federación deTrabajadoresBancariosyAfinesdelParaguay Electricidad (SITRANDE) Sindicato deTrabajadoreslaAdministraciónNacional Nacional deAeronáuticaCivil(SIPROTEC) Sindicato deProfesionalesyTécnicoslaDirección Auténtica (OTEP-AUTENTICO) Organización deTrabajadoresEducadoresdelParaguay PARAGUAY | 3 agreement. However, thecompany’smanagementdidnotcomplywith recognising thevalidityofcollectiveagreementinforce. The SupremeCourtruledinfavourofSITRACJuly2009, dismissal of325workers,whichexacerbatedthedispute. in force,failuretorespectworkers’humanrightsandits the company’sfailuretocomplywithcollectiveagreement Trabajadores deAcepar(SITRAC)wentonstrikeinprotestat Between AprilandNovember2010,theSindicatode in 2001. a disputeovercollectivebargainingagreementthatstarted steel companyAcepar,beganahungerstrikeinprotestagainst and 3August2014,HugoGonzalesChirico,unionleaderat Acepar violatescollectiveagreement:Between22May and February2015. hands ofafew.FurtherprotestswereheldinNovember2014 resolve theseriousproblemofconcentrationlandin protest. Theprotestorswerealsocallingforagrarianreformto violence usedbythestateandcriminalisationofsocial education andpublicservices,aswelltocondemnthe Partnership Act,whichforeseestheprivatisationofhealth, political parties,wereheldinoppositiontothePublic-Private unions, campesinoorganisations,landrightsdefendersand On 13August2014,threedaysofprotest,ledbytrade parties. Justiceisslow,costlyandunpredictable. theory, butappointmentsarelinkedtothedominantpolitical legal actionisnotallowed.Thecourtsareindependentin Workers havetoappealthecourtsindividuallyascollective need forgreaterinvestmentineducation. part inthegeneralstrikeof26March2014,andforurgent social protest,thepaydeductionsaffectingthosewhotook improve teachers’pensions,theviolenceusedtosuppress union leave,whichobstructstradework,therefusalto trade unionistswereprotestingagainsttheeliminationof waged bythegovernmentofPresidentHoracioCartes.The orders torequestthe presenceoflabourinspectors. Regional governmentofficials,fortheir part, refusedtogive authorities. report theincidentstoNationalPolice andotherrelevant comply withthelegalproceduresestablished, failingto According totheunion,company’smanagersdidnot 2013. responses tothecollectivebargainingproposalsof2012and in thecityofTalaraandcompany’srefusaltosubmitits The unionalsodenouncedtheabsenceoflabourinspectors security servicesatthepipelinesofoilcompanySaviaPerú. members. Theincidentstookplacewhilsttheywereproviding physical assaultsandattemptsontheliveshealthofits de laEmpresaRiskControl,intheoilsector,denounced representing workersatRiskControl,SindicatodeTrabajadores Attacks onRiskControlworkers:InApril2014,theunion TAM airlines. about theupcomingindustrialactionsandstrikesinLAN Airport inLimaandansweringquestionsfrompassengers made whilehewasdistributinginformationintheJorgeChavez protect aviationstandardsinSouthAmerica,hisdetentionwas was detained.Leaderintheinternationalsolidaritycampaignto secretary oftheSITALANPEunionPeru,reportedthathe On 21June2014,JuanCarlosTalaveraFlores,thepress Intimidation againstLAN-TAMairlinesunionoficial: falsely accusinghimofstealingunionfunds. to ProsegurstaffidentifyingCardenasasaunionleaderand leader. Justonemonthearlier,pamphletswerecirculated suggesting hewastargetedsimplyforbeingatradeunion The attackertooknoneofCardenas´personalproperty, criminal smashedhimacrosstheheadwitharock. worker, waslefthospitalisedbytheattackafterananonymous violent assaultnearhishomeinPeru.Cardenas,anoff-duty security firmProsegur,becamethevictimofabrutaland September 2014,LuisCardenas,atradeunionleaderat Union leaderhospitalisedafterbeingbeaten:In PERU | 4 65

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AMERICAS 66 decision andtheworkersareawaitingafinaloutcome. the companytooutsourcelabour.Theappealed safety andhealthviolations,corruptionthedecisionof months aftergoingonathree-daystrikeagainstoccupational and fullbenefits.TheworkerswerefiredinOctober2013,two and topaythematotalof$2.72millionindamages,salaries Workers’ TradeUnion(OWTU)whowereunfairlydismissed Company toreinstate68workersbelongingtheOilfields the IndustrialCourtorderedNationalPetroleumMarketing Anti-union discrimination:On19November2014, Group, madeupofPETREXS.A.andtheItalianENIGroup. accounts duringthenegotiation.PETREXispartofSAIPEM did nothaveaccesstothefinancialstatementsandother presented bytheworkers.Themanagersknewthatunion and thecompany,latterrefusedtoacceptclauses At ameetingheldinApril2014betweenSIGETRAPETREX relevant report. the AdministrativeLabourAuthorityhadstillnotissued situation intermsofprofitsandlosses.ByApril2014,however, requested theaccountingdocumentsneededtoknow negotiations phaseofthecollectivebargainingprocessand Trabajadores delPerú(CATP),enteredintothedirect (SIGETRAPETREX), affiliatedtotheCentralAutónomade Sindicato deTrabajadoreslaEmpresaPETREXS.A. In October2013,theunionrepresentingPETREXemployees, Petrex notnegotiatingingoodfaithwithoilworkers: secret ballotelection, employerscanrefusetorecognisethe where amajorityof workers havevotedfortheunionina Barriers totheestablishmentoforganisations: Even UNITED STATES TRINIDAD ANDTOBAGO | | 4 4 NLRA andjudicialdecisions interpretingthelawprohibit Restrictions with respect totypeofstrikeaction:The employees aredeniedcollectivebargaining rights. collective bargaining.InNorthCarolina, forexample,allpublic collective bargainingagreementsandlimited thescopeof of theDepartmentHomelandSecurity thatabrogatedcertain also struckdownportionsoftherulesapplying toemployees A paneloftheU.S.CourtAppealsforDistrictColumbia collective bargainingrightsuntil2009foritscivilianemployees. Act, theDepartmentofDefensewasauthorisedtocurtail government. Underthe2004NationalDefenseAuthorization to significantlyrollbacklabourrightsforemployeesoftheU.S. The ongoing"WaronTerrorism"hasbeenusedasapretext of publicsectorworkershavearighttocollectivelybargain. only limitedcategoriesofworkers.Altogether,about75% bargaining rightsforpublicsectorsorprovidesuch workers. Therestofthestatesprovideeithernocollective collective bargainingrightsforstateandlocalgovernment about halfthestateshavestatutesorotherrulesestablishing collective bargainingrightstomostfederalsectorworkers,and sectors: TheFederalLaborRelationsActgiveslimited Limitations orbanoncollectivebargainingincertain the unionproveitsmajoritysupportinasecretballotelection. from amajorityoftheworkers,butalternativelycaninsistthat to recogniseauniononthebasisofsignedauthorisationcards authorised theuniontorepresentthem.Employerscanchoose a majorityofworkersinan“appropriatebargainingunit”have legal obligationtorecogniseandbargainwithaunionunless required tobargainingcollectively:Employershaveno representativity orminimumnumberofmembers Excessive requirementsinrespecttotradeunions' unionisation. no rightofreplytoemployerclaimsabouttheunionor communicating withworkersregardingunionisationand to employers’propertyforpurposesoforganisingor Others restrictions:Unionshavenorightofaccess the NLRA. excluded fromtheNLRA.Domesticworkersare personal feelingsaboutunionisation.Agriculturalworkersare termination, tocampaignagainsttheunionregardlessoftheir NLRA. Supervisorsandmanagersmayberequired,onpainof Managerial andsupervisorystaffareexcludedfromthe or joiningaunion,fromholdingunionoffice: Categories ofworkersprohibitedorlimitedfromforming administrative agenciesandcourts. union anddelaybargainingbyfilingmultipleappealswith representation. can voteinadecertificationelectiontoeliminateunion workers permanently.Permanentreplacement actions: TheNLRAallowsemployerstoreplacestriking Possibility toreplaceworkersduringlawfulstrike protection. strikes, secondaryboycottsandotherformsofmutualaid before engaginginastrikeorpicketingsuchasintermittent health careinstitutionsmustprovide10days’advancenotice organisational orrecognitionalstrikes.Workersatcertain and secondaryboycotts,imposeotherrestrictionson workers fromengaginginsitdownstrikes,partialstrikes 67

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ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 68 Lanka, Malaysia, Cambodia andthePhilippines. occur inEPZscountries throughoutAsia,including Sri enforce thelaw.Seriousviolations of tradeunionrights purview ofaspecialEPZinspection whichdoeslittleto labour inspectionisraretonon-existent, orunderthe do nothavethesamerightsasunions. InmostEPZs, establishment ofworkerwelfareassociations-which unions areprohibitedbylaw,allowingonlyforthe location whenworkersgoonstrike.InBangladesh, directly takeactiontoguardcompaniesandindustrial the EPZs.Militaryandpoliceaspublicauthoritycan Indonesia, demonstrationsandstrikesareprohibitedin and refusetorecogniseunionsonceestablished.In employers oftenharassworkerswhotrytojoinaunion continue toposeaseriouschallengeunions; In othercountries,exportprocessingzone(EPZs) facilitate theexpansionofprecariouswork. by failingtoproperlyenforcelawsoramending In somecases,governmentsfacilitatethesepractices countries suchasCambodia,KoreaandthePhilippines. have usedtoundermineorganisingandbargainingin and subcontractingarethestrategiescompanies flexibility. Thewidespreaduseofshort-termcontracts Labour lawstendtograntemployersagreatdealof countries andstrikerepressionoftenleadstoviolence. governments. Lawfulstrikesaredifficulttocallinmany anti-union actionsbothfromprivateemployersand the reportingperiod,workersandunionshavefaced laws remainweakandimplementationweaker.During In manycountriesintheAsiaandPacificregion,labour THE PACIFIC ASIA AND PART II// ranging between 3 and6monthsismandatoryinsome of themonthlysalary bytheemployerforaperiod them fromleavingthecountry.Total orpartialdeduction employers oftenretainworkers’passports toprevent forbid retainingpassportsandother identitydocuments, by thelabourlaws.Althoughlawsin mosthostcountries and collectivebargainingmostarenotevencovered are deprivedoffundamentalworkersrighttoorganise and arevictimsofgrossvictimisation.Migrantworkers vulnerable withexploitationandabsenceofprotection receiving countries,migrantworkerscontinuetoremain In spiteoftheircontributiontobothsendingand industry legal. unjustified. TheILOhasfoundasimilarstrikeintherail the prosecutionappealedinsistingthatstrikewas they hadnotengagedin“obstructionofbusiness”,but dropped inDecember2014whenthecourtfoundthat against 4unionleadersintherailindustrywerefinally would belegalelsewhereintheworld.Criminalcharges are inimprisonedforengagingindustrialactionthat minimum wage.InKorea,labourleadersandactivists unions engagedinasector-widestriketoraisethe would chillactivityinthegarmentsector–where strike thatthegovernmentdoesnotapproveof,which to suspendaunion’sregistrationiftheyauthorise a newdrafttradeunionlawwouldallowthegovernment reprimanded withapaycutordisciplined.InCambodia, sentenced toupthreeyearsimprisonment,dismissed, employees whichtakestrikeactioncanbefined, the NationalPublicServiceLawprovidesthatpublic the righttostrikeindesignatedindustries.InJapan, In Fiji,theEssentialNationalIndustries(ENI)eliminated In manycountries,therighttostrikeisunderattack. assembly. charged withparticipating,organisingorincitingillegal Cheuk YanandChiefExecutive,MungSiuTat.Bothwere appointment, includingtheHKCTUGeneralSecretary,Lee 32 participantsofthemovementwerearrestedby In HongKong,insupportofdemocraticreform, having starvedtodeathwhileheldbytraffickers. buried inshallowgravesorlefttheopen,apparently Rohingya MuslimsfromMyanmarandBangladeshwere camp inneartheThai-Malaysianborder.Ethnic heat. Atleast30bodieswerefoundatanabandoned workers aredyingonconstructionsitesinblistering can alsobedeadly,notonlyintheGulf,wheremigrant paid forbringingtheworkerfromhiscountry.Migration employment officesforthetravelexpensestheyhad countries inordertoreimbursetheemployerand 69

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ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 70 NO GUARANTEE OF RIGHTS | 5 The Ten Worst Countries rape. Thegarmentworker leaderwentmissing. was beaten,hadherclothestornoff andthreatenedwith severely anddumped,unconscious,nearby. Afemaleorganiser the ground.Oneorganiserwastakenfrom thescene,beaten the unionrepresentativeswerebeaten, kickedandthrownto Chunji KnitLtd,agarmentmanufacturing company.Allfiveof of approximately2dozenmenwhilespeakingtoemployees Solidarity, two ofwhomwerewomen,attackedbya group organisers oftheBangladeshFederationforWorkers On 22February2014,onegarmentworkerleaderandfour who beathimandslashedwithblades. went therethenextday,hewassurroundedbyagroupofmen again andalsothreateningtokillhimifhedidso.When he hadreceivedaphonecallaskinghimnottocomework work inabrothel.Aunionorganiseratdifferentfactorysaid had been“polluting”hisfactoryandthatsheshouldgo street. Elsewhere,amanagersaidfemaleunionorganiser union wouldbestrippedofherclothesandthrownontothe At anotherfactory,asupervisorsaidanywomanjoiningthe visited herhomeandthreatenedher.Sheagreedtoresign. including aknowngangsterandthefactoryowner’sbrother, two ofherfelloworganisers.Twoweekslater,agroupmen, assailants (includingonewithcuttingshears)laterattacked that hewouldneverallowunionmembership.Unidentified he threwitintherubbishbinandthenthreatenedthem,saying presented theirunionregistrationformstothecompanyowner, One workerreportedthatwhenworkersinherfactory have reportedreceivingthreatsandinsultsofasexualnature. workers, includingintheirownhomes,andmanyfemaleworkers owners havealsousedlocalgangsterstothreatenorattack resign byfactorymanagersandfloorsupervisors.Some threatened (includingthreatsofdeath),sackedandforcedto and NasirabadinChittagonghavebeenbeaten,intimidated, factories inGazipur,AshuliaandTongiDhaka,Potanga industry. WorkersinvolvedinestablishingunionsRMG particularly widelyreportedintheready-madegarment(RMG) often usedtostopworkersfromorganising.Thishasbeen intimidation andthreatsofphysicalassaultdismissalare Unionists attackedandthreatened:Physicalforce,sexual BANGLADESH

| 5 called astrikeinresponsetohismurder. The leadersofJhenaidahbusminibustransportworkers'union miscreants’. day beforebyagroupdescribedinthepressas‘unidentified Arappur Baro-bridgearea.Hehadbeenhackedtodeaththe transport workers'unionAbdulGaffarBiswaswasfoundinthe the bodyofGeneralSecretaryJhenaidahbusminibus Transport unionleaderhackedtodeath:On5May2014, been arrestedortriedforhismurder. April 2012,hasbeenverypoor.Asat2014,noonehad abduction, tortureandmurderoflabouractivistAminulIslamin police responsetoattacksontradeunionists,includingthe Trade unionsandhumanrightsgroupshavereportedthatthe union. Theattackleftatleast30peopleinjured. by 20-25officialsfollowingafeudovertheformationoftrade Ltd reportedbeingclobberedwithironrodsandbamboosticks On 18September2014,workersofLifestyleFashionsMaker out ofcamerarange. the factorybeforebeingpushedoutdoorandthenshoved away andpunched.Anotherfemaleunionorganiserentered ground andassaulted,amaleunionorganiserwaschased female unionorganiserwasswarmedbypeople,pushedtothe 10 November2014,atanotheroftheAzimGroup’sfactories,a Azim Group,requiringhertogetmorethan20stitches.On the headwithanironrodjustoutsideafactoryownedby On 26August2014,afemaleunionpresidentwasbeatenin forwarded totheArbitration Council.On4July2014,the lawsuit withPhnom PenhMunicipalCourtinApril,whichwas vice presidentofthe busdriverunion,YemKuyba,fileda those whohadbeenterminatedtocontinue protesting.The other points.Mostdriverslaterreturned towork,leavingonly sackings, demandingreinstatements,a salaryriseandseveral 2014. Morethan60peoplewentonstrike followingthe for tryingtoformabusdrivers’unionat thecompanyinApril a buscompanybasedinPhnomPenh,fired17employees rejects courtordertoreinstate15:SoryaTransportation, Bus companyfires17employeesforformingunion, CAMBODIA | 5 protest forbackpay andmorebenefits. encouraging thefactory workerstoblockaroadduringtheir threatening tocommitacrimeandinciting afelonyforallegedly Court prosecutorKeoSotheasaidallsix werechargedwith intimidate. that day,inamoveunionssaywasunjustified andmeantto incitement overaprotestneartheWingStarShoesfactory Speu ProvincialCourtchargedsixunionrepresentativeswith others fromorganising:On6May2014,theKompong Six unionrepresentativeschargedoverprotesttoscare crack downisnotright.” “We protestedwithoutanybruteforce,sousingsoldiersto forced overtime.WorkerrepresentativeChanSaban,21,said: The workersweredemandingalunchbonusandanendto employees atPemirGarmentFactoryonVengSrengBoulevard. paramilitary forcesfromBrigade70brokeupastrikeof100 Force usedtoendVengSrengstrike:On2May2014, front ofjournalistsandNGOworkers. motorbike andbeatenbyacrowdofdistrictsecurityguardsin the headwithbatonsatrandom.Onemanwasdraggedoffhis On Street108,securityguardswereseenbeatingpeopleover and cattleprods,weredeployedtodispersethethinningcrowd. and plain-clothedmenwieldingwoodenbatons,metalpoles Daun Penhdistrictsecurityguards,alongwithmunicipalpolice National RescuePartyleadershadleft,morethan100helmeted Sokha andMuSochua.Atabout10am,aftertheCambodia and togreetthearrivalofoppositionleadersSamRainsy,Kem 9am tovoicedemandsforbetterworkingconditionsandwages, gathered aroundNagaBridgeonNorodomBoulevardatabout rally usingbatonsandcattleprods.Morethan1,500peoplehad and securityforces(someinciviliandress)violentlybrokeupthe next toFreedomPark.Theinjuriesoccurredwhenthepolice security forcesinjuredatleast5peopleaLabourDayrally 2 May2014,thePhnomPenhPostreportedthatpoliceand still investigatingtheJanuaryviolenceatvenue.On were the authoritiesdidnotauthorisegatheringbecausethey was denied.AspokespersonfromtheCityHallindicatedthat a gatheringatFreedomParkon1May2014.Therequest requested permissionfromthePhnomPenhCityHalltostage uses -forcetodispersegathering:Around20unions May Dayeventnotsanctioned;Ministrythreatens-and pay theirsalaries. said hewouldonlyrehiretheworkersifcouncilhelpedhim two. SoryaTransportationgeneralmanagerChanSophanna 15 workersandpaybenefitsaccordingtothelawother Arbitration Councilruledthatthebuscompanymustrehire 71

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ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 72 workers weredroppedandtheyreleased. 8-month imprisonment.Chargesagainsttheremainingthree three workerstoa9-monthimprisonmentandsix 2014, thedistrictcourtfoundallworkersguiltyandsentenced public order”underArticle290oftheCriminalLaw.InApril after 4months’detentionfor“assemblingacrowdtodisturb and werearrested.Twelvesecurityworkersprosecuted severance. Duringtheprotest,workersclashedwithpolice that employedthesecurityguardscontinuedtorefusepay offered RMB20,000compensation.However,theagency demanding severancepay.Asaresult,healthworkerswere In June2013,theworkersorganisedapicketathospital agency weredismissedwithoutpriornoticeandseverancepay. Guangzhou UniversityofChineseMedicinethroughemployment workers andsecurityguardsemployedattheFirstHospitalof medicine hospital:InFebruary2013,nearly200health Criminalisation ofworkersatGuangzhouChinese strike actionsareoftentreatedaspublicsecurityissues. explicit recognitionoftherighttostrike.Therefore,protestsand Wide-scale abusescanbeexplainedbythefactthatthereisno employers andgovernmentofficialsthroughoutthecountry. strikes andpicketsfacedthreatsharassmentbyboth Physical attacksandthreats:Workersparticipatingin legitimate strikes. the arrestswereclearlymeanttoscarethemoutoforganising to theCambodiaSolidarityUnionFederation.Theunionssaid the KhmerWorkerPowerFederationUnion,andtwobelonged in twopartnerunions.Fourofthearrestedmenbelongedto Confederation forLaborProtection,saidallsevenwereofficers Sath ChheangHour,presidentoftheCambodiaNational protest. The menwerearrestedwhilesettinguploudspeakersforthe CHINA | 5 the electionorany issueormatter.”Asmanycivil discussions, orpublishing anymaterial)thatisrelatedto organising debates, publicforum,meetings,interviews,panel “to engagein,participateinorconductany campaign(including any organisationwhichreceivesforeign fundingorassistance Article 115cutsanevenwiderswath,making itunlawfulfor $50,000 fine,10yearsimprisonmentor both. Any personwhoviolatestheseprovisionsmaybesubjecttoa distribute anycampaignmaterialinsideatradeunionoffice. under thedecreetoconductcampaignactivitiesorpost conducting politicalcampaignactivities.Itisalsounlawful unionists (wronglydeemedpublicofficers)fromeven Article 113oftheElectoralDecreeexplicitlyprohibitstrade political partyandfromnominatingforelectiontoParliament. prevents tradeunionofficialsfromjoiningorholdingofficeina 2014, assentedtobythePresidentofFijion28March Trade unionistsbannedfrompolitics:TheElectoralDecree Government torestoringcheck-offfacilitiesforuniondues. and negotiatedthroughtheERABmechanismcommits and recommendationsidentifiedbythepartiesshallberaised ILO coreConventions.Italsoprovidesthatanyfurtherissues Advisory Board(ERAB)mechanismtoensurecompliancewith the labourlawconductedunderEmploymentRelations relations, theagreementalsoacknowledgesreviewof As wellasaffirmingthecentralroleofERPinlabour the RighttoOrganiseConvention,1948(No.87). obligations undertheFreedomofAssociationandProtection Workers’ delegatesrelatingtoFijinon-compliancewithits of Inquirybeestablishedtolookintoacomplaintmadeby November 2014andarecommendationthatCommission The agreementfollowedanILODirectMissiontoFijiin for labourmanagementrelationsinthecountry. Employment RelationsPromulgation(ERP)astheprimarybasis Union Congress,FelixAnthonysignedanagreementtousethe Nesbitt D.F.Hazelman,andGeneral-SecretaryofFiji’sTrade the ChiefExecutiveofFiji’sCommerce&EmployersFederation, Employment, Productivity&IndustrialRelations,JiojiK.Konrote, ILO Convention87:On25March2015,theMinisterfor Tripartite agreementsignedaddressingbreachesof FIJI | 5 aspect oftheElectoralDecreeberepealed. freedom”. TheMOG’sFinalReportrecommendsthatthis being membersofpoliticalpartiesisalimitationon officials, statingthat“[t]heprohibitionontradeunionofficials makes particularreferencetotheexclusionoftradeunion Fijians areeffectivelyexcludedfromthepoliticalprocess.It Ministers andLeaderoftheOpposition,largenumbers that whiletheserestrictionsdonotapplytothePrimeMinister, as ‘publicofficers’,participatinginnationalpolitics.Itnotes concerns abouttherestrictionsplacedontradeunionofficials, the 2014FijianElections,publishedinApril2015,expressed The FinalReportoftheMultinationalObserverGroup(MOG)on organisation willreceivesuchpermission. unless specificallyauthorised.Itisdoubtfulthatanypersonor conducting anyvotereducationorregistrationdrive, or both.Article115(2)alsoappearstobaranyonefrom the electoratefacesa$50,000fine,10yearsimprisonment person braveenoughtoholdadebateontheissuesfacing muzzling nearlyallcriticalvoicesinthecountry.Again,any and internationalNGOs),thisprovisionwillhavetheeffectof from overseassources(i.e.,foreigngovernments,theUN, society organisationswithinFijireceivefundingorassistance Hong Kong. clearance ofthepeaceful assemblyintheAdmiraltyareaof Several othermembers oftheHKCTUwerearrestedduring the organisers” oftheUmbrellaMovement within threemonths. Andy Tsangannouncedthatthepolice would arrestthe“key stations wheretheywillbearrested.Commissioner ofPolice included onalistofpersonswhoareto besummonedtopolice (General Secretary)andMungSiu-tat(Executive Director)were Arrests: ThenamesofHKCTUofficialsLeeCheuk-yan protests continuedblockingmainroadsinHongKong. demonstrators. Eventhough,manypeoplewereinjured police andfiredteargasattensofthousandspeaceful 28 September,theHongKonggovernmentdeployedanti-riot government buildingsfrom26September2014onwards.On Workers, studentsandordinarycitizensassembledoutside demanding freeelectionsoftheHongKongChiefExecutive. Police repression:interferedviolentlyinprotests HONG KONG | 5 textile industryinOctober 2014.Amongawiderangeoflabour The abuseofgirlsand womenworkersintheSouthIndian the Netherlands(ICN) publishedareporttitledFlawedFabrics: Multinational Corporations(SOMO)and TheIndiaCommitteeof South Indiantextileindustry:TheCentreforResearchon Report revealswidespreadabuseof workers’rightsin harassing theworkers,"healleged. workers nordeniedthemandinsteadprolongedtheissuewhile forth bytheworkers.Itneitherdiscusseddemandsof workers. Italsorefusedtoacceptthecharterofdemandsput company managementhasbeencontinuouslyharassingthe workers formedauniontosecuretheirjobsandrightsbutthe management deniedworkerstheirrighttoformaunion."The state secretaryCBhaskaraRaoallegedthattheAurobindo Organisation forProtectionofDemocraticRights(OPDR) he said. of theworkersisformingaunionone-and-a-halfyearsago," any undertakingsorputtingpressureonthem.Theonlycrime management shouldallowworkersfordutieswithoutasking against theleadersunconditionally."TheAurobindoPharma suspensions, dismissalsofworkersandtakebackillegalcases to directthecompanyrollbackillegaltransfers, IFTU leaderMrVenkateswarlucalledonthegovernment 24 November2014. a numberofthecompany’sdistrictcollectorateson the IndianFederationofTradeUnions(IFTU)stagedprotestsat In responsetotheharassmentofunionleadersandmembers, had toprotestforalmost83days. delay oftheunion’sregistrationin2013,forwhichworkers This discriminationandharassmentfollowedthecompany’s 26 October2014. wage agreementanddeniedtheworkersentrytoplanton management alsoharassedworkerswhentheyaskedfora transfers andunsubstantiatedlegalclaims.Thecompany prejudiced theemploymentofmanyothersthroughunlawful district suspendedfiveunionleadersand26workers, Aurobindo Pharma'sPydibhimavaramplantinSrikakulam harasses workersseekingcollectiveagreement:In2014, Aurobindo Pharmasuspends31unionsupporters, INDIA | 5 73

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ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 74 status asalegaltrade union. approved thedecision, deprivingtheKTUofits14-year-old In arulinginJune2014,theSeoulAdministrative Court teachers. (KTU) duetoitsrepeatedrefusaldeny membershiptofired outlawed theKoreanTeachersandEducation Workers'Union government authorities:InOctober2013,the KTU legalstatusandleaderunderattackfrom • • • • • • right tofreedomofassociation: respect totheabilityofworkersinindustryexercisetheir rights abuses,thereportmadefollowingobservationswith a unionwerelikelytobedismissed. Others indicatedthatworkerswhoexpressedadesiretojoin that womencouldnotjointradeunions. Several workersinterviewedexpressedtheunderstanding we everjoinatradeunion?” interviewed said:“wehavenooutsidecontactsohowcould alone withtradeunionsorlabouradvocates.Oneworker workers, havelittletointeractionwiththeoutsideworld,let The workersintheindustry,manyofwhomaremigrant they awarethathavetherighttojoinone.” the interviewedworkersknowwhatatradeunionis,norare “a deadletter”forwomenintheindustry:“Infact,noneof The reportdescribesthenotionoffreedomassociationas as againstNGOs,iscommonpractice”. or strikingworkers,violenceagainstunionmembers,aswell report states:“Criminalisation,threatsagainstlabouractivists at thestagesofformation,registrationandoperation.The Trade unionsfacewidelyprevalentprejudiceandrestrictions interviewed workersweretradeunionmembers. textile millsinvestigatedforthereport,andnotoneof is verylow.Therewerenounionsactiveinanyofthe5 The levelofunionisationintheIndiangarmentindustry KOREA, REPUBLICOF | 5 breach oftheNationalPublicServiceLaw, prosecutorssaid. on thewebsiteofpresidentialoffice CheongWaDaein Kim allegedlywrotepostsdenouncingPresident ParkGeun-hye public. such asholdingralliesorvoicingtheirpoliticalopinionsin public schoolteachers,fromtakingpartinpoliticalactivities, public servantslaw.Thelawprohibitscivilservants,including who wasbeinginvestigatedforallegedlyviolatingthenation's prosecutor toorderthearrestofKTUchiefKimJeong-hoon, Days earlier,aSeouldistrictcourtrejectedrequestbythestate and equality." Constitution andinfringesuponteachers'rightstoorganisation the principleofexcessiveprohibitionensuredunder Constitution, observing:"Thearticlepossiblygoesagainst 2 ofLabourRelationsActwasinaccordancewiththecountry’s request thattheConstitutionalCourtreviewwhetherArticle status untilanappealwasdecided.HisHonouralsoaccepteda granted theKTUaninjunctionallowingittoretainitslegal In September2014,JudgeMinJoon-gioftheSeoulHighCourt provision fromitslegislationthroughvariouscommittees. The ILOhasurgedtheKoreangovernmenttorepeal political neutralityofeducation’. protests andpetition,claimingthattheaction‘damaged 107 KTUmemberswhowereinchargeoforganisingthe The educationministrysaidithadfiledchargesagainstsome members. of aninvestigationintoallegedillegalpoliticalactivitybyits On 15July2014,policeseizedKTU’swebsiteserversaspart calling forPresidentParkGeunhyetostepdown. It alsopresentedapetitionsignedby12,000ofitsmembers, work earlytodemonstrateagainstthegovernment’sdecision. On 27June2014,about1500ofmemberstheKTUleft consequences. KTU memberstoreturntheirschoolsorotherwisefacestern decision. Inresponse,theMinistryofEducation(MOE)ordered The teachers'grouptooktothestreetsprotestcourt's join unions. who, accordingtoArticle2oftheLabourRelationsAct,cannot nullifying themembershipofdismissededucationalworkers, The courtsaidtheKTUcouldonlyretrieveitsstatusby Samsung Everland, which changed its name to Cheil Industries last last Samsung Everland,which changeditsnametoCheilIndustries Prosecutors did,however,findunfairpractices atoneaffiliate, that Samsungaffiliatescommittedunfair labourpractices. Prosecutors, however,saidtheycouldnot findevidenceshowing tactics toblockanymovesformlabour unions. against LeeandChoi,claimingthegroupcarriedoutsystematic for aDemocraticSocietyfiledcomplaintwiththeprosecution Following thedisclosure,somecivicgroupsandLawyers Samsung haslongkeptastancenottosupportlabourunions. strategy." fails, theyshouldmaketheunionswitherthroughalong-term moves asearlypossible,"adding,"Ifthecollapse personnel affairsdepartmentsshouldcooperatetodeterthe group's labour-relateddepartmentsandeachaffiliate's It read:"Incaseofattemptstoestablishlabourunions,the 150-page documentdetailingthegroup'santi-labouractivities. Sang-jung oftheminoroppositionJusticePartydiscloseda The accusationscametolightinOctober2013whenRep.Sim law, citingalackofevidence. Gee-sung ofallegationstheyhadviolatedthecountry'slabour cleared Leeandthegroup'sstrategyofficeheadChoi The SeoulCentralProsecutors'OfficesaidTuesdaythatit Samsung workersfromestablishinglabourunions. Chairman LeeKun-hee,whohadbeenaccusedofblocking Samsung Groupexecutives,includingElectronics Korean stateprosecutorsdecidednottobringchargesagainst schemes despitewrittenevidence:InJanuary2015, Samsung Groupexecutivesclearedofanti-union said ofthereasonsforcourt'sdecision. Yoon Gang-yeol,ajudgefromtheSeoulCentralDistrictCourt, stage afterreviewingtheevidenceandinvestigationprocess," "There isnotenoughreasontodetain(Kim)atthepresent members. an outsiderunionforacceptingdismissedteachersasits 27 inprotestofagovernmentdecisiontoturntheKTUinto early leaveofabsencebysome1,500KTUmembersonJune The prosecutionfurtherallegesthattheunionleaderledan and criticisingthegovernmentforitspoorresponse,theysaid. online postsdemandingthetruthaboutApril'sferrydisaster The KTUheadisalsoaccusedofinfringingonthelawbymaking

provided negativebriefings againstEIEUandthreatened workforce. Intherun-up tothevote,companyregularly Eventually, Infineon agreed toasecretballotoftheentire to claimthefactorywasnotproducing electronic components. tried company organising. Inabidtopreventunionpresence, the while thecompanytriedtodestroy workers’ efforts at forced topursuealongbureaucraticrecognition procedure, constructive dialoguewithworkers.EIEU wassubsequently rejected theunion’sdemandsandrefusedtoentera recognition oftheirunioninApril2014.However,Infineon Malaysia initiallyaskedthecompanymanagementfor management. WorkersattheKulim-basedplantinnorthwest despite strongpressureandunionbustingtacticsby (EIEU) atelectronicsmanufacturerInfineonTechnologies, representation bytheElectronicIndustryEmployeesUnion 1-2 October2014,workersinMalaysiavotedforunion Union bustingtacticsintheelectronicssector:On 2014. contracts ofallfourexpiredaroundthesametimeinAugust left vacant,buttheproblemismoreacutenowbecause not renewed.ThisisthefirsttimeCourthasbeen the contractsoffourseniorIndustrialCourtchairmenwere up attheIndustrialCourtsinPenangandKualaLumpurafter Backlog ofcases:Aseriousbacklogcasesisbuilding prove itscompetencyfirst. still delayingthesubmissionoflistarguingunionmust eligible tovoteinunionelectionsby21August2014.SFIis Department orderedSFItosubmitthelistofemployees the righttofreedomofassociation.TheIndustrialRelations process. However,inrealityitcontinuestodenyworkers formation ofaunionandthatitwaswillingtofacilitatethis publicly declaredthatitwascommittedtonotopposingthe for tradeunionrecognitionsincetheearly2000s.Thecompany Timber EmployeesUnion(STIEU).Workershavebeenstruggling prevent theformationofanindependentunion,Sabah Forest Industries(SFI)hasbeenusingnumeroustacticsto Sabah ForestIndustriespreventsunionisation: 5 millionand10woninfinestofourexecutivesthere. year. Theysubsequentlyaskedacourttohanddownbetween MALAYSIA | 5

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ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 76 their salaries. pointless trainingsessions byhigherofficialstoavoidpaying Other protestingpolice officialssaidtheywerebeingsenton they willextortmoremoneyfromus.” are beingaskedtoreportRazzaqabad forelitetrainingwhere said ASITaufiq.“Nowthatwehavecompleted thecourse,we rupees areextortedfromuseverymonth ascanteencharges,” salaries anddespitethat,betweenthreefourthousand “We havebeenintrainingforthepastsevenmonthswithout street. Central PoliceOfficecausingatrafficjamonthecity’sbusiest and headconstablesresortedtodemonstratingoutsidethe being paidinmorethanhalftheyear,under-trainingASIs to reportthePTCRazzaqabadforelitecourses.Irkedatnot had notbeenpaidduringthistimeandwerenowbeingordered at thePoliceTrainingCentre(PTC)Saeedabad,claimedthey The officials,whohadjustcompletedseven-month-longtraining salaries pendingforthepastfewmonths. Police OfficeonIIChundrigarRoadtodemandpaymentof charge andarrestsaftertheyprotestedoutsidetheCentral head constablesoftheSindhPoliceweresubjectedtobaton dozens ofunder-trainingAssistantSub-Inspectors(ASIs)and Protesting policebatoncharged:On19March2015, Malaysian TradeUnionCongress. sacked workerswouldbereinstated,furthertolobbyingbythe taken againstthem).InNovemberitwasreportedthatthe a courtappearancetoexplainwhylegalactionshouldnotbe issued withshowcausenotices(whichrequirethemtomake were amongthosedismissed.88KTMBmembers Razak MdHasan,anddeputypresident,R.Subramanian, the useofoldlocomotives.BothRUMpresident,Abdul in apicketon9May2014oversafetyconcernsarisingfrom part were dismissedbyKTMB(MalayanRailwaysLtd)fortaking leaders andactivistsoftheRailwaymen’sUnionMalaya(RUM) Railway workersdismissedforpicketing:Atotalof97 favour ofhavingtheunionatplant. workers. Nonetheless,morethanhalfoftheworkersvotedin PAKISTAN | 5 believed. spared, theneverybodyelseinthecountrywasunsafe,they creed, religionandethnicity.IfapersonalitylikeEdhiwasnot Abdul sattarEdhihadservedhumanityirrespectiveofcaste, Condemning therobberyatEdhiHome,speakerssaidthat Rs500,000 fortheinjured. of Rs1milliontothefamilieseightslainlabourersand forces intheprovince.Theyalsodemandedacompensation creating aridgebetweentheworkingclassandnationalist nationalist forcesofBalochistanandaskedtoquellattempts The speakersdemandedsecuritytobeprovidedpoliticaland working classmovementandstrengtheningregressiveforces. or secthadessentiallybeenaimedatcreatingfissuresinthe Other speakerssaidattacksonlabourersthebasisofrace its forms.” nationalities andtheyhadalwaysresistedstateterrorisminall class alwaysstoodforthedemocraticrightsofoppressed of thelabourerswasanunpardonableact.Theworking NTUF SindhPresidentGulRahmansaid:“Thebrutalmurder social activistsaswellstudents. The protestwasattendedbyindustrialworkers,politicaland Abdul SattarEdhi. Balochistan andanattempttoharassveteransocialworker Press Clubtocondemnthemurderofeightlabourersin Trade UnionFederation(NTUF)protestedoutsidetheKarachi 8 workersmurdered:On21October2014,theNational the mainpoliceoffice. vehicles, tearingtheirclothes,asthescufflecontinuedoutside The citypolicepersonneldraggedtheprotestersintotheir also takenintocustodyandshiftedtodifferentpolicestations. Nizamani baton-chargedthemwhilearound20ofwere personnel ofthecitydivisionpoliceledbyCitySPAftab When theyfailedtopeacefullydispersetheunpaidpolicemen, slogans. police officials,thedemonstratorsriledupandbeganchanting But whenhefailedtosatisfytherepresentativesofprotesting were invitedinsidebytheDIGAdministrationfornegotiations. As thedemonstrationprogressed,fourofleadingprotesters Toyota, andtodiscourage otherworkersfromorganising. of workers dismissed campaign forjusticethe237illegally stop him,TMPCWAandDefendJobPhilippines inthecontinuing going toshoothim.Hebelievesthatthe incident wasintendedto a threateningmanner,promptingMrCubelo tothinktheywere whether anyoneinthehouseworkedfor Toyotaandbehavingin by fourarmedmendressedincivilianclothes.Theywereasking Corporate WorkersAssociation,EdCubelo,wasvisitedathome On 18March2014,aleaderoftheToyotaMotoPhilippines since 2010. labour sectorsincePresidentNoynoyAquinocameintopower Labog, saiditwasthe18thcaseofextra-judicialkillingsin of thenationallabourcentreKilusangMayoUno,Elmer"Bong” sidewalk ofBarangaySoro-soro,BatangasCity.Thechairman Workers’ RightsinSouthernTagalog,wasfounddeadona coordinator oftheNationalCoalitionforProtection union organiserattheRFMfirminLagunaandprovincial On 8March2015,Florencio“Bong”Romano,along-time • • • 2casesofgravethreattoworkers,involving8victims; • • 2casesofphysicalassault,involving5victims; • 1tradeunionistkilled; Specifically, theCentrereportedthatin2014therehadbeen: harassed, threatenedanddetained. worker hadbeenkilledin2014andhundredsmore Union andHumanRights(CTUHR)reportedthatatleastone and detained:On6March2015,theCentreforTrade One workermurderedandhundredsharassed,threatened beliefs orlabourdisputes,involving49victims. 10 casesoffalsecriminalchargesduetopoliticalactsor and 8 casesofarbitraryarrestordetention,involving15victims; 138 victims; 5 incidentsofthreat,harassmentandintimidation,involving PHILIPPINES | 5 over thatoftheworkers,”saidBasilio. “industrial peace”wherethewelfareofcapitalistsareprioritise and unwillingtobendtheirprinciplessubmitfake especially ofunionswhoaresteadfastinsupportingworkers “There isincreasingrepressionoftradeunionsnationwide, RMN DavaoEmployeesUnion. linked” tothecommunistmovementsuchasincaseof reported thatunionistsarealso“red-baitedandmaliciously general ofKMUSouthernMindanao,RomualdoBasilio,has leaders, ArtemioRobillaandDaniloDelegencia.Thesecretary murder chargessuchastheMaragusanDOLEStanfilcounion In Davao,unionleadershavebeenchargedwithtrumped-up 77

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EUROPE 78 result –historicallyhighunemploymentrates In theEuropeanUnion, thepolicyofausterityandits geographic scopeinthepastyear. pean regionhascontinued, inadditiontoexpandingits The deteriorationoftradeunionrightsinthepan-Euro- EUROPE PART II// experienced employment growthandincreasedinvest - suit. Evencountriessuch asPolandwhichpreviously strike. Pensionandunemploymentrightshave followed employed inordertohampertheexercise oftherightto United KingdomandSpain, variousmeasures havebeen workers andemployers. Inothercountries, including the that couldberegulatedthroughnegotiations between pushed throughlegislationthatrestrictedtheissues Governments, includingSerbiaandHungary, havealso effect onwagesandworkingconditions. national orsectorallevelinordertominimiseitsoverall lective bargainingtotheenterpriselevelasopposed and Romania. The focushasbeentodecentralisecol- practically beendismantledincountriessuchasGreece lance. Collectivebargainingrightsandsystemshave - annual cycleofeconomicpolicyguidanceandsurveil tion measuresduringtheEuropeanSemester, theEU's and socialrightsunderthepretextoffiscalconsolida- advantage oftheeconomicsituationtoattacklabour Regrettably, employersandgovernmentsaretaking to reducethehighlevelsofunemployment.” ishamperingefforts social crisisandtheslowrecovery stating that, “the economiccrisistriggeredanongoing region. The European Commissionhasrecognisedthis thus socialcohesionanddemocraticinstitutionsinthe systematically underminedlabourrelationssystemsand 8 7 –have seen howthedamagescouldberepaired. declared departurefromausterityorthodoxy, itisstilltobe of EuropeanSocialModel. While thenewEUCommission protection legislationerodingthemeaningandrelevance policies areanoutrightassaultonlabourandemployment to rejectproposedreformsin, e.g., BelgiumandItaly. EU Trade unionsrespondedwithmassiveprotestactions protections. to adoptsimilarpoliciestargetedatweakeninglabour ment afterimprovingitsinstitutionalframework consulting workers’ representatives. The EUandthe public sectorand increase inthepensionagewithout painful reformswhichwouldleadto redundanciesinthe national authoritiesarealsoconsidering adopting beaten andunionmeetingswerestopped. Meanwhile and Odessawereburned, leaderswerekidnapped and end ofthe Yugoslav wars. Trade unionbuildingsinKiev led totheworsthumanitariancrisisinEuropesince of workers. operationsandviolence Extensivemilitary on theabilityoftradeunionstorepresentinterests The conflictineasternUkrainehashadaseriousimpact effectiveness. nalised fromthisprocessraisingdoubtaboutitsfuture perspective, socialpartnershavelargelybeenmargi- framework forlabourpoliciesinthemediumtolongterm time-bound plan. While theseplansprovideageneral a listofEUdirectivestobeimplementedaccording Employment, SocialPolicyandEqualOpportunities gia, MoldovaandtheUkrainewhichincludechapterson The EuropeanUnionsignedtradeagreementswithGeor Romania andSerbia. weakening collectivebargaininginGeorgia, Moldova, for lawsandpoliciesdecreasinglabourinspection using theirwideaccesstogovernmentsinorderpush Councils creepedintopolicy-makingprocessesandare American ChamberofCommerceandForeignInvestors At thesametime, non-traditionalactorssuchasthe 10 10 9 started started - and transportsectors. after mobilisingindustrialactionsin themining, railway unions wereabletoachieveimprovements forworkers lowing thechangesinlabourcode of2013, Georgian Convention 87onfreedomofassociation. In Georgia, fol- safety standardsandtoachieveratificationoftheILO eradicate childandforcedlabour, topromotehealthand Organisation thatforeseescomprehensiveplansto Work ProgrammewiththeInternationalLabour Country obligations ofUkraine. UzbekistanhassignedtheDecent right tostrikeincivilaviationviolatedtheinternational members. The ECHRstatedthattheprohibitionof in acaseconcerningtherighttostrikeofcabincrew the ConfederationofFree Trade UnionsoftheUkraine pean CourtofHumanRights(ECHR)ruledinfavour some positivedevelopmentsforworkers. The Euro- Despite theseworrisomesetbacks, therehavebeen European Union. are spreadingandspillingovertothecountriesof tion, discriminationandharassmentofunionactivists bargain collectively, creationofyellowunions, intimida- exaction offorcedlabour. Unionbusting, refusalto workers’ rightsviolationsnowalsoincludesthelawful 2014. InBelarus, thelongtimerecordofsystematic to theSomaminedisasterthatkilled301workersin action. Further, thegovernmenthasstillfailedtorespond their righttostrikeandundertakepeacefulprotest in Turkey, as Turkish unionscontinuebeingdeprivedof rier. Dozensoftradeunionactivistsarestillindetention most prominentcasearisingatthe Aeroflot nationalcar forged accusationswererecordedinRussia, withthe Several casesofdetentiontradeunionactivistsunder imports contributingthetorublecrisis a numberofsanctions, includingatotalbanonfood its allegedroleintheconflict. Russiarespondedwith US imposedeconomicsanctionsagainstRussiafor economies relyonremittancesfromworkersinRussia. poses amajorrisktoothercountriesintheregionwhose 11 whichalso 12 - 79

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EUROPE 80 SYSTEMATIC VIOLATIONS REGULAR VIOLATIONS NO GUARANTEE OF RIGHTS OF RIGHTS OF RIGHTS | | | 3 4 5

The Ten Worst Countries by anILOCommissionofInquiry. little ornoprogressinimplementingrecommendationsmade the ILOhasregularlyconsideredBelarusiancase,noting to theInternationalLabourOrganizationin2000.Sincethen complaint againstviolationsofFreedomAssociationsubmitted by theinternationallabourmovement.Itformedpartof of tradeunionactivistsinBelarushasbeenheavilycriticised The systemofshort-termcontractsanditsuseinpersecution was simplytoendorsethecompany'sposition. professionals forbeingunionists.Thegovernmentresponse country's short-termcontractsystemtodismisshighlyskilled managed andthewayinwhichdirectorwasabusing last month,raisingtheirconcernsabouthowfactoryis Workers wroteanopenlettertothePresidentofBelarus people whowerefired. been advertisingfornewworkerswiththesameskillsas not linkedtotheirSPBmembership.However,BZTDiAhas were duetotheoptimisationoffactoryworkforceand dated 14November,thefactorydirectorsaiddismissals arbitrary dismissalforbeingunionists.Inacompanyresponse of anunauthorisedprotestandsaytheyareinfactvictims trade UnionofBelarus(SPB),disagreewiththeaccusation public protest.Theworkers,whoareallmembersoftheFree while theywereonhungerstrike,andaccusedofunauthorised (BZTDiA), weredetainedbypoliceon10November2014 employed bytheBobruiskFactoryofTractorPartsandUnits facing afineorevenjail.Thedesperateworkers,whowere to bringpublicattentiontheirunfairdismissal,arenow metalworkers inBelarus,whowentonatwo-dayhungerstrike Hunger strikeworkersinBelarusfacejail:Four companies RMGGold andRMGCopperengagedinserious Acts ofinterference atRMGGoldandCopper:The BELARUS GEORGIA | | 5 4 with dismissalifthey donotsignstatementsofwithdrawal. against tradeunion members. Managementthreatensworkers of Batumiandhasbeen involvedindiscriminatorypractices Batumi Autotransportisacompanyowned bythemunicipality Anti-union discriminationatBatumi Autotransport:The from managementbecauseoffeardiscrimination. dues directlytotheunionandkeeping their membershipsecret union. Asaresult,membersexpressedthattheypreferpaying individually withmanagerswhopressurethemtoleavethe union members.Moreover,membersarecalledtomeet head ofdivisionstoexaminetheworkperformance bargaining purposes.TheDirectoroftheagencyasked management refusestorecognisetheunionforcollective of theTbilisiCityHallestablishedatradeunion.However, 2013, workersattheAgencyofextraordinarysituations Tbilisi CityHallrefusestobargain:On24January contracts. to targetunionmembersbynotrenewingtheirfixed-term Court. Inretaliationforthecourtcase,LevanChikvaidzestarted the PostalServicelaunchedacomplaintwithTbilisiCity agreement. Asaresult,theTradeUnionofWorkers they hadpreviously.Thisisaviolationofvalidcollective month contractsinsteadofone-yearortwo-year Workers withfixed-termcontractsoftenhadtoacceptone- 120 workersandreplacedthemwithfriendsrelatives. director ofthe“GeorgianPost”,hedismissedmorethan agreement: AfterLevanChikvaidzewasappointedgeneral General DirectoroftheGeorgianPostviolatescollective union dues. the unionbydelayingorovercomplicatingremittanceof have lefttheunion.Managementhasalsosoughttoundermine (RWNTUG). Duetothepressurebymanagement,manyworkers membership fromtheRailwayWorkersNewTradeUnion 2014. Managersopenlyencourageworkerstorevoketheir received amuchhigherbonusthanotherworkersinApril employer-supported yellowunion.Forexample,ZurabNasaria Railway hasbeengivingbonusestoworkerswhojointhe Attempt toundermineindependentunion:Georgia resignation letters. In response,managementforcedemployeestosignpre-printed which wassignedon23March2014followinga40-daystrike. legal obligationsunderthecollectivebargainingagreement immediately afterTUMMCWGurgedmanagementtofulfillits of TUMMCWGtorenouncetheirunionmembership.Thisbegan (TUMMCWG). Thecompaniescoercedsome1,000members of Metallurgy,MiningandChemistryWorkersGeorgia acts ofinterferenceinordertounderminetheTradeUnion and theirstrugglehas beencarriedintothecourts.Thecourt 12 tradeunionists, including POEM’sPresident,werefiled the attacksbyPoliceandMinistry, chargesagainst of Defencethatledtothearrestworkers. Asaresultof occurred duringasubsequentprotestaction attheMinistry not beenpaidforawholeyear.Clashes withpoliceforces strike on4October2012.Theshipyard workers’wageshad the workersatHellenicShipyardinSkaramangawenton deteriorating andprecariousworkingconditionsforoverayear, struggle bytheunionfortheirrelease.Victimsofseverely Greek metalworkers’unionweresetfreeafteratwo-year Trade unionistsreleased:InMay2014,membersofthe without accesstoproperhygieneorbasicsanitation. in theattack.Themigrantsworkedsubhumanconditions Manolada inthesouthernPeloponnese.Fourwerebadlyinjured they demandedtobepaidforsixmonths’workatafarmin appeal. ThestrawberrypickerswereshotinApril2013when and eightyearssevenmonths,butwerefreedpending possession, werejailedfor14yearsandsevenmonths Two others,accusedofaggravatedassaultandillegalfirearms conditions inwhichmigrantworkersareoftenkeptGreece. day forjusticeinacasethathadshonelightontheappalling groups condemnedtheverdicts,describingthemasablack for monthsofbackpay.Politicians,unionsandanti-racist shooting 28Bangladeshistrawberrypickerswhentheyasked pickers: InJuly2014,acourtacquittedfarmerswhoadmitted Court acquittedfarmerswhoshotBangladeshistrawberry complain aboutthepracticesincompany. occasions. UnionleadersmetthemayorofBatumiinorderto Simon Sikharulidzewerethreatenedwithdismissalonseveral a bandit.UnionPresidentEmzarGogitidzeandhisdeputy Felul Tsintsadze,whosemanagersaccusedhimofbeing union membersverbally,suchasinthecaseofdriver union forcollectivebargainingpurposes.Mangersattack Moreover, managementhasbeenrefusingtorecognisethe office andreceivewithdrawalstatementsfromunionmembers. maintenance regularlycallstheunionpresidenttocomehis withdrawals fromthetradeunion.Theheadofsecurityand Under suchpressuretheworkersstartedtosubmittheir GREECE | 5 81

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EUROPE 82 these developments. However,managementrefusedtomeet 20 members.Thenew uniontriedtoinformtheemployer about Merlin inBiałystokformed atradeunion,initiallywith In February2014,workersemployedat amegastoreLeroy NSZZ Solidarność. except thosewhoweremembersofthe managementboardof management offeredemploymentcontracts toallworkers, structures weretransferredtoanothercompany.Thenew 2014, thecompanywasliquidated,howevermanufacturing Nowa HutaSteelworksArcelorMittalPolandS.A.Bytheendof in mid-2014andweresupportedbytradeunionistsfrom Workers atTrendFashionwentonaprotestagainstlowwages membership. managers publiclyurgedworkerstowithdrawtheirunion renewing herfixed-termcontractafterthat.Previously,district joined NSZZSolidarnośćinMarch2010.Thecompanystopped in Malborkwasreceivingbonusesonaregularbasisuntilshe cashier workingintheBiedronkashopsNo.1796and2091 Poland werenotrenewedduetotheirunionmembership.A contracts ofworkersemployedatBiedronkaJeronimoMartens is widespreadinthecountry.Forexample,fixed-term Anti-union discrimination:discrimination protesting againstausteritymeasures. used watercannonsandteargasagainstworkerswhowere Spółka Węglowa.About20peoplewereinjuredwhenpolice violently inademonstrationfrontofthecompanyJastrzębska Physical attacks:On9February2015,policeinterfered defending publicgoods. Unions protestedtheuseofauthoritarianlawsagainstworkers threatened witharrestsiftheycontinuedthestrikeaction. and forcetheworkerstoreturnbackwork.Workerswere referred toemergencylawsinorderdeemthestrikeillegal privatisation ofthePublicPowerCorporation.Thegovernment In July2014,electricityworkerswentonstrikeagainstthe Government invokesemergencylawstostopstrikes: postponed to5May2014. hearing tookplaceon1October2013,buttherulingwas POLAND | 4 staff reductionsunlesstheunionwasdissolved. chairman oftheunionandinformedhimthattherewouldbe the formationoftradeunion,managementsummoned trade union.Beforeacceptingthenoticeofinformationabout of thecompanyStakorefusedtorecogniseanewlyformed Acts ofinterference:InSeptember2014,themanagement he wasbannedfromenteringthecompany. responsibilities tothesatisfactionofhisemployer.Furthermore, with immediateeffectallegedlybecausehedidnotfulfillhis Bednarek, presidentoftheenterpriseunion,wasdismissed the representativesandtorecogniseunion.Instead,Paweł non-unionised workers forWizzAirinBucharest. cabin crewemploymentcompany.That companywouldprovide the situation,companyhaddecided toestablishanew deadline, themanagementsentaletter explainingthat,given further lay-offsdespiteearliergrowthannouncements. Afterthe the removalofoneaircraftfromBucharest andconsequently to dissolveitself;otherwise,actionswouldbetaken,namely unions insidethecompany.Theunionwasgivenoneweek Bucharest andverballyconfirmedthattheywillnotacceptany The managementofWizzAirvisitedthecompany’shubin union makesthemasafetyhazardduringtheflights”. for 2weeksonthegroundthat“theirinvolvementintrade trade union,ClaudiuBitaandDenisaChelu,weresuspended disciplinary grounds.TheVice-PresidentandSecretaryofthe its President,MirceaConstantin,wasdismissedonfalse they formallyannouncedthefoundationofatradeunion, decided tosetupatradeunionatWizzAir.Onemonthafter Earlier thisyear,acoupleofcourageouscabincrewmembers trade unionsdefendingworkers’rights. “ethical” approachdoesnotseemtoincludetheacceptanceof driven byanexcellentteam-playerapproach”.However,that the difference”andthatthey“believeinhighethicalstandards the companyproudlysays:“webelievethatpeoplemakeall airline basedinCentralandEasternEurope.Ontheirwebsite, Wizz Airdismissesunionmembers:isalow-cost ROMANIA | 4 determined bycollectivebargaining,withinthelegallimits. are establishedinspeciallaws,theconcretewages Social Dialogue,allowsthatincaseswherewageentitlements 284/2010). However,Art.138(4)ofActNo.62concerning staff entitlementswhicharefixedbylaw(Section3(b),Act salaries, payincreases,allowances,bonusesandother are excludedfromthescopeofcollectivebargaining:base bargaining: Inthepublicsectorfollowingsubjects Exclusion ofcertainmattersfromthescope of theenterprise. is amembershipofatleast50percentplusonetheworkers the nationalmunicipalities.Atenterpriselevel,requirement of thelabourforceandterritorialstructuresinmorethanhalf Dialogue requirescumulativemembershipofatleast5percent at thenationallevel,Art.51ofActNo.62concerningSocial required tobargainingcollectively:Toberepresentative representativity orminimumnumberofmembers Excessive requirementsinrespecttotradeunions' “reorganisation andlowerdemandduringthewinterschedule”. members’ contracts,mostlyfoundingmembers,duetothe head on4November2014withtheterminationof19union their positionvis-à-vistheunion.Thesituationreacheda even contactedpeopleduringtheirdaysofftoinquireabout workers wereafraidoflosingtheirjobs.Themanagement The pressureputforthbythecompanyincreasedandmany bonuses cutorstopped iftheyfailedtopersuadeworkers to and teamleadersthemselves werethreatenedwithhaving their workers towithdrawfromtheirtradeunion. Thesupervisors factory supervisorsreceivedinstructions onhowtoforce set outtobusttheunion.According the unioncommittee, to coverinflation.Asaconsequencethe factorymanagement compensated forworkingmorethanone jobandbetterpay assembly on17October2014inwhichtheydemandedtobe of-living. Tiredoffruitlesstalks,workerscalledforageneral holding morethanonepositionandtheincreaseincost- management concerningtheproblemofunderpaidworkers Turbodetal triedtonegotiateacollectiveagreementwiththe Metalworkers faceunionbusting:Unionrepresentativesat RUSSIA | 3 hundred workersfortakingpartinstrike action. to protestthearrestandpossibleimprisonmentofseveral thousands ofSpanishworkerstookpartinarallyMadrid and fourahalfyearsinprisonforworkers.InJuly2014, of thePenalCodethatestablishespenaltiesbetweenthree Public ProsecutionServicehasstartedtoreferArticle315.3 total ofover120yearsinjail.Overthelastfouryears, added together,theprisonsentencesdemandedcometoa currently facingadministrativeandpenalproceedings.When Criminalisation ofstrikes:Some300tradeunionistsare of upto600,000Euros. unauthorised protestsnearkeyinfrastructurecanleadtofines parliament aswellregionalgovernmentbuildings.Moreover, resulting in“seriousdisturbancesofpublicsafety”nearthe authorities mayimposefinesofupto30,000Eurosforprotests in publicareas,eventhecaseofpeacefulprotests.Public 600 eurosforfailingtonotifyauthoritiesaboutdemonstrations assembly andexpression.Thelegislationincludesfinesofupto changes withaseriousimpactontherighttofreedomof from July2015.Thelawincludesanumberofcontroversial public securitylawwasadoptedandisscheduledtotakeeffect Crackdown onfreedomofassemblyandspeech:Anew being victimisedforhistradeunionactivities. that theallegationsagainstTikhonovarefalseandheis embezzling unionfunds.TheDockers’UnionofRussiabelieves imprisonment inapenalcolonyfor3yearsand6months Trade UnionofDockersEastPort.Hewassentencedto verdict againstLeonidTikhonov,chairmanoftheRussian December 2014,Nakhodkacitycourthandeddownaguilty Criminal prosecutionoftradeunionactivist:On15 200 workerswithdrewfromtheunion. leave theunion.Asaresultofunionbusting,around SPAIN | 3 83

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EUROPE 84 “public healthandnational security”.TheunionKristal-Is industry for60days onthegroundsthatitposedariskto government issued a decreetosuspendstrikeintheglass Government interferesinstrike:InJune2014,the union. that theywillbesackedfornovalidreason iftheysupportthe company. Thisonceagainsentamessage totheworkforce that hewasdismissedbecauseofhisearlierrecordsinsidethe 3) HasanYiğit:Hehadsevenyearsseniority.wastold someone forsupportingaunion. service inhisposition,itisanon-credibleexcuseforsacking processes requiredinhisjob.However,withelevenyears’ sufficient levelofacademicqualificationsforthetechnological reason forhisdismissalwasthathedoesnotpossessa 2) ŞenolAygün:Hehadelevenyearsseniority.Theapparent physiological problems. seniority. Hewastoldthatthereasonforhisdismissal 1) RamazanAtasever:Hehadone-and-a-half-year sacked forsupportingaunion. Below arethedetailsregardingthesethreelatestworkerstobe would neverrecogniseandbargainwithanyunion. from theMinistryofLabour.Yet,Devamanagementannouncedit then fileforandreceivetheofficial“CertificateofCompetence” Deva employeesmanagedtoorganisetherequiredmajority Despite themasssackingsandotherillegalanti-unionpressure, process. of 24sackingshadoccurredinthislatestunionorganising 22 July2014forexercisingtheirrighttojoinPetrol-Is.Atotal individual contracts.Devathensackedeightmoreworkerson when theyrefusedtoreplacetheircollectiveagreementwith Deva Holdingssacked74employeesatthatstagein2010 in theÇerkezköy,KartepeandTopkapıareaofIstanbul. to dismantlea40-yearindustrialrelationssystematplants Already in2010Devausedarangeofunionbustingtactics company sackedthreemoreworkersforsupportingtheunion. begin collectivebargainingon14October2014.Instead,the instructed thecompanyDevatorecognisePetrol-Isand Deva sacksworkersforjoiningaunion:Publicauthorities TURKEY | 5 roads connectingtoTaksimsquare. activists. About40,000policeofficerswere deployedtocutall people wereinjuredwhenpoliceattacked unionsandpolitical 2014, about142demonstratorsweredetainedandseveral to preventthemfromreadingoutthestatement.OnMayDay celebrations. Policeusedteargasagainsttheactivistsinorder were abouttoissueapressstatementregardingMayDay several tradeunionistsinTaksimsquarewhenunionmembers Yenikapi Squareinstead.On21April2014,policedetained Taksim Square.Unionsweretoldtoholdthecelebrationsin would notbepermittedtoholdMayDaycelebrationsat In April2014,theGovernorofIstanbulstatedthatunions resorted tothestrikeaction. and theuseofsub-contractorsatcompanyfailed,workers sit-in. Afternegotiationswithmanagementoverhigherwages in IstanbulHadimkoyandarrested91workerswhohelda Police Violence:InApril2014,policestormedtheGreifplant victimise workersinsteadofengagingingoodfaithbargaining. bargaining bytheMinistryofLabour,managementchoseto plants. Eventhoughtheunionhasbeencertifiedforcollective union conductedasuccessfulorganisingcampaignatboth 45 workersintotalatitsplantsGebzeandDuzceafterthe holding severalpickets.Thecompanyunlawfullydismissed against unionbustingbyadvertisingcompanyM&TReklam In June2014,membersoftheunionBirlesikMetal-Isprotested discriminate againsttradeunions. campaigns despitethefactthatcompanycontinuedto at certainplantsofthecompanyaftersuccessfulorganising campaign. Unionswereabletosigncollectiveagreements inspection stationsacrossTurkeyfortheirorganising TÜVTÜRK dismissedeightunionmembersatvariousvehicle Anti-union discrimination:InApril2014,thecompany health andnationalsecurity. suspended glassworkerstrikeswouldbeharmfultopublic The governmenthasneverindicatedareasonwhyanyofthe stifled inthiswaybythegovernmentsinceyear2000. exercising theirrighttostrike.Thiswastheninthmajorstrike regressive lawonaroutinebasistostifleworkersfrom Collective Agreements.TheTurkishgovernmentusesthe the legislativeactno.6356,LawonTradeUnionsand on 20June2014.Thedecreeisbasedarticle63of launched astrikeattenfactoriesofthecompanySisecam The companyimposed anillegalpenaltyonherforbeinga Podpruzhnikova’s sickness recordandregisteredabsences. council andusedhis positiontoforceadoctordestroy The Directorofthecompanywasalsoa memberofthecity made herdriveold,unsafetrolleybuses duringhershifts. Anastasia Podpruzhnikova.Theythreatened tosackher,and union bytryingtodestroyitandvictimising itsrepresentative their salaries.Managementresponded tothecreationof west Ukraine)facedathreemonthdelayinthepaymentof authority-owned companyElectrotransinKhmelnitsky(central- of Ukraine(VPZU)wascreatedafterworkersatthemunicipal was beingvictimised.TheFreeTradeUnionofRailwayWorkers reported thatarepresentativeofoneitsnewbranchunions Independent unionleadervictimised:InAugust,theKVPU members andofficialsintheLuhanskDonetskregions. centre alsoreportedviolenceandintimidationagainstits Confederation ofFreeTradeUnionsUkraine(KVPU)national threatened withreprisalsiftheytookpartinFPUmeetings.The disaffiliate fromthenationaltradeunioncentreFPUandwere told, atgunpoint,toconveneameetingoftheFederation of the“LuganskPeople’sRepublic”.FPLOofficialswere Oblast (FPLO)underthecontrolofself-proclaimedleaders attempts tobringtheFederationofTradeUnionsLugansk in theinternalaffairsofunions.Thisincluded,notably, Eastern Ukrainewithcontinuedinterventionsbyarmedgroups The mostworryingdevelopmentshoweverhavebeenin defend workers’rights. they haverelationswithgovernmentsandemployersinorderto considered tohavebeencriminal.Theunionsunderlinedthat unions ofhavingrelationswiththepastgovernment,now on primerealestate.TheresolutionintheRadaaccused to maketheworkofunionsmoredifficultandseize attempts toconfiscatebuildings,holidayandhealthresorts of thepropertiesunion.Formanyyearstherehavebeen investigation intotheunion’sactivitiesandespeciallyuse Ukranian Parliament,aresolutionwastabledseekingan intervene inthemeeting,whileVerhovnaRada, trade unioncentrewasinterruptedbyacrowdseekingto radicals. AmeetingofthePresidiumFPUnational attacks againsttheirleadershipandmembersbynationalist trade unionsreportedinJune2014thattheyfacedconstant Violence andintimidationagainsttradeunions:Ukrainian UKRAINE | 5 of yellowunionshavebeensetup. paid. Whileexistingtradeunionsarebeingbanned,anumber and holidayshavebeencut,wherewagesareactuallybeing human rightsviolationsagainsttheirunions.Miners’wages Confederation ofFreeTradeUnionshaverecordedextensive record. BoththeFederationofTradeUnionsUkraineand Luhansk PeoplesRepublichasanappallingtradeunionrights para-military forcesoftheDonetskPeoplesRepublicand the neworder.TheterritoryundercontrolofRussian Coal Mine,butwasdeniedregistrationunderthetermsof Union whichappliedon16JanuarytoregisterattheBarakov to feeltheeffectofbanwasIndependentMiners registration ofindependenttradeunions.Thefirstunion Luhansk PeoplesRepublicissuedanorderbanningthe 20 January2015,theMinisterofJusticeself-proclaimed Unions bannedbypro-Russianseparatists:On slashed. Heisthoughttohavebeenkilledbyseparatists salt pit.Hehadbeenshottwiceintheheadandhisthroat body wasfoundinbyafriendandfellowtowncouncilor oblast) fromBatkivshina.Ivandisappeared21June2014.His “Artemsil” andamemberoftheSolidarTownCouncil(Donetsk was theheadofprimarytradeunionatstateenterprise Ukraine (NPGU),wasfounddeadon14January2015.Ivan activist intheIndependentTradeUnionofCoalMiners Miners’ unionleadermurdered:IvanReznichenko,an problems”. resign fromthiswork,becauseyouaregoingtohavebig stopped Anastasiafornoreason.Anofficeradvisedher“to member ofthetradeunioncommittee,andlocaltrafficpolice MAC. Theassurermust reportwhetheraunion’ssystems are members mustappoint anindependentassurertocomplete the annual membership returns.Unionswithmorethan10,000 annual membershipauditcertificate(MAC) alongsidetheir registering andregulatingindependent tradeunions,withan Officer (CO),astatutoryagencywithresponsibility for From 2015,unionswillberequiredtoprovide theCertification introduces newregulationsonunionmembership registers. Campaigning andTradeUnionAdministrationAct2014 Part IIIoftheTransparencyLobbying,Non-Party UNITED KINGDOM | 3 85

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EUROPE 86 attempt topreventordelayindustrialaction. audit certificatesinapplicationsforinteriminjunctionsan that employerswillseektorelyoninformationprovided ability ofunionstoorganiseindustrialaction.Itisanticipated of association.Thenewlegislationmayalsointerferewiththe individuals’ rightstoprivacyandtradeunions’freedom The legislationrepresentsaseriousinterferencewith current orfutureemployer. blacklisting. Othersmayfearthattheywillbevictimisedbytheir to thestate.Someindividualswillhavealegitimatefearof disclose theirtradeunionmembershiptoemployeror to representationatwork.Manyindividualschoosenot individuals fromjoiningtradeunionsandexercisingtheirrights The TUCisconcernedthatthenewprovisionsmaydeter the union. relevant, includingcorrespondencebetweenamemberand to accessotherdocumentswhichs/heconsidersmaybe there isagoodreasontodo.TheCOwillalsohavethepower registers ofmembers’namesandaddresseswhens/he‘thinks The ActprovidestheCOwithnewpowerstoaccessandretain their membershipregisterisaccurateanduptodate. adequate toensurethat-asfarasisreasonablypracticable- 87

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MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 88 AFRICA NORTH EAST AND MIDDLE PART II// SYSTEMATIC VIOLATIONS NO GUARANTEE OF RIGHTS OF RIGHTS | | 4 5

The Ten Worst Countries Workers Union (SNAP)whichregrettedthat Algeria Posthad of demands. They weresupportedbythe Autonomous Postal strike afterwaitingmonths fortheiremployertonegotiate a list 2015.part inastrikeon10January Their unionhadcalledthe weresackedaftertaking staganem inthewestofcountry members ofthe Algeria Post Workers’ Collective(CTAP) inMo- Four postalworkerssackedforgoing onstrike:Four verbal harassment. union memberswerealsounderthreat, havingalreadyreceived with anythingfrompaydeductionstodismissal, andmore procedures.were facingdisciplinary They hadbeenthreatened been dismissedandalltheirfoundingmembers–37intotal negotiate withit, theunion’s president Abdella Boukhalfa, had of SNATEG, BendiefBoualem, said thatSonelgazrefusedto and hadfollowedalllegalprocedures. The GeneralSecretary union hadreceivedofficialrecognitioninDecember2013, SNATEG wasalsofacingdifficulties, despitethefactthatits to defenditsmembers. limitedinwhat itwasabletodo recognition theSNAPwasvery Nekkach, hadbeensuspendedfromhispost. Without official ofLabour.the Ministry Furthermore, itspresident, Mourad not receivedananswer, neitherrecognitionnorrefusal, from submitting itsapplicationon2July2012, theorganisationhad waiting forovertwoyearsofficialrecognition. Despite Sonelgaz GasandElectricity Workers). The SNAPhadbeen Workers) andtheSNATEG (National Autonomous Unionof Personnel), theSNAP(National Autonomous UnionofPostal SNAPAP (National Autonomous UnionofPublic Administration According totheLADDH, unionsfacingrepressionincludedthe repressed bytheemployers. a vulnerablepositionwheretheyareeitherignoredoreven not receivedacknowledgementfromit. This leavesthemin overthelasttwoyearsforrecognition,to theMinistry andhad according totheLeague, 13autonomousunionshadapplied Ministry, whichshouldrespondwithinonemonth. However a generalassemblyandsubmititsapplicationtotheLabour recognised asatradeunion, aworkers’organisationmusthold unions in Algeria werestillfacingrepression. To belegally (LADDH) issuedapressreleasewarningthatindependenttrade 16 August the Algerian LeaguefortheDefenceofHumanRights Autonomous unionsstillstrugglingforrecognition:On ALGERIA | 5 89

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MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 90 later. the eightactivists. Hewasreleasedwithoutchargesixhours station from Algiers, 400kilometers north, toattendthetrialof 6 a.m. 2015, on11February whenhearrivedatthecity’s train Laghouat arrestedanotherCNDDCactivist Tarek elNaouiat Noureddine Abdelaziz, thegroup’s president, saidthatpolicein authorities deemed “likely tounderminenationalinterest.” a peacefulsit-inprotesttodemandtherightworkthat He wasconvictedfordistributingCNDDCleafletscalling Houari Djelouli, andfinedhim50,000dinars(aboutUS$530). one-year suspendedsentenceonanothermemberofthegroup In April 2014, the Appeals CourtofOuarglahadimposeda CNDDC activistswentonhungerstrikeandlodgedappeals. trouble tothepublicorder.” Followingtheirsentencing, allnine The Laghouatpoliceorderedtheirarresttoprevent “potential court toprotestagainstthetrialofMohamedRag. whentheyassembled outsidethe Abdelkader –on28January Belkacem, BekouiderFaouzi, Bensarkha Tahar, andDjaballah Brahimi Belelmi, MazouziBenallal, Azzouzi Boubakeur, Korini The authoritieshadarrestedalleight–KhenchaBelkacem, the samechargetoone-yearprisonterms, halfofitsuspended. National pourlaDéfensedesDroitsdeChômeurs, CNDDC)on for theDefenceofRightsUnemployed Workers (Comité Instance sentencedeightmembersoftheNationalCommittee gathering.” On11February, theLaghouatCourtofFirst Rag, wassentencedto18monthsinprisonfor “unauthorised ful proteststosupportunemployedworkers. One, Mohammed 2015forengaginginpeace- tivists toprisonsincelateJanuary ported that Algeria courtshadsentencedninelabour rightsac- 2015HumanRights peaceful protests:InFebruary Watch re - Unemployed workersfacing arrestandimprisonmentfor had submitteditsapplicationforrecognitioninJuly2012. recognition oftheirorganisationasatradeunion. The collective of theworkers’collective’s principaldemandswastheofficial opted forrepressionratherthandialogue, andnoted thatone rity forcesarrested four GasCompanyworkersin Alexandria in Four arrestedfor going onstrike:On10 April 2014, secu- EGYPT | 5 National CoofSteel ofPortSaid, amemberofthe Al Masren two-hourstoppage:On3June,16 suspendedover the through badmanagementandcorruption. thousands employees. The companyhadlostalotofmoney of thecollectiveagreementandprotest attheterminationof Bahteem. The strikewascalledtodemandimplementation a strikeatthecompany’s factoriesinShubra Al Khema, and Hassan Abdel Latif, and Al SayedZakiwerearrestedfollowing the Subrapolicestationforincitingastrike. Ahmed Gaber, Asfoor Companyweredetainedon19Mayandinterrogatedat ment collectiveagreement: Three workersfromtheCristal Arrested fororganisingastrikefailure toimple- form anindependentunion. losing 92%ofitscapital. Healsocalledonhiscolleaguesto the companyChairman, ofbadmanagementandcorruption, to theGeneralProsecutoraccusingMohamedSaadNegeda, strike inDecember2013. hesubmittedareport On22January Mohamed Omarwasinthecompany’s sightsafterhehadleda tal whereheremainedunconsciousforseveralhours. left onanunmarkedmotorcycle. Colleaguestookhimtohospi- masked menwhostruckhimontheheadwithanironbarand the workshopwhereheworkedwhenwasattackedbytwo o’clock inthemorningMohammedOmarwasonhiswayto injuries inanassassinationattempton4May2014. At eight a unionleaderattheIronandSteelCompany, sufferedserious Attempted assassinationofunionleader:MohamedOmar, packet, andweredeniedthe7%payrise. deductedfrom theirpay However theyhadfivedayssalary transferred workerswerereturnedtotheiroriginalpositions. Amr. ontheirbehalfandthe The PrimeMinisterhasintervened Mohamed Hassan, EssamMohamedHassanand Tharwat Abo The fiveconcernedwere Ayman Sobhi, AhmedKassem, Ashraf Company on27 April 2014fortheirroleinorganisingastrike. transferred todifferentproductionunitsbytheEgyptianCoke Reprisals forstrikeaction:Fiveworkerswerearbitrarily night. interrupting workflow. Theprosecutorreleasedallfourthat the protestingworkersaccusingthemofincitingastrikeand and Al Saied Al Semman. The companyfiledcomplaintsagainst Saleh,Mohammed Abdel-Rahman,Mohammed AhmedAdel Security forceswenttotheworkers’homesinorderarrest workers’ representativeshadbrokendownthepreviousday. Group. Negotiationsbetweenthecompanymanagementand test attheliquidationofcompanyownedby Al Kharafy at thecompanyhadbegunstrikeonemonthearlierinpro- an attempttointimidatethemintoendingtheirstrike. Workers Moawad Ibraheem. Moustafa, Treasurer, MahmoudGaber, Mohamed Ahmed and Taha, President, Montaser Anwar, General, Secretary Mahmoud Council oftheindependentunion, namelyMohamed Rashad to suspend16workersincludingmembersoftheExecutive worker’s representatives. However, managementthendecided called inthepolice. The companythenagreedtonegotiatewith hours topressfortheirdemands, andinresponsemanagement 2014, butnotyetpaid. The workerswentonstrikefortwo had demandedpaymentoftheir2013bonus, duein March Steel Group, suspended16workers. The company’s 500workers organise aMayDay demonstration. Mohammadiand Parvin conditions ofworkers andwereamongunionistswhotried to 2013, theyorganisedamasspetition protestingtheworsening All fourareofficialsoftheFreeUnion of Iranian Workers. In MohammadiandShapourEhsaniradwerearrested.Day Parvin tained MessrsJafar Azimzadeh andJamilMohammadi. OnMay Kidnappings andarrests:On30 April 2014, authoritiesde- be investedinthe Yazd region. demanded that15percentofrevenuefromthemineshould part ina40-daystrikeatthemineearly2014. Workers also support ofthedetainedworkerswhowerearrestedfortaking of thenineworkers. Over5,000minershavedownedtoolsin byriotpoliceandthearrestdetention violent intervention the workingconditionsofminers. The strikeendedwitha sation ofthecompany, whichwasgoingtohaveanimpacton strike actioninBafghIronOreMine Yazd againsttheprivati- 2014, ninemineworkerswerearrestedforparticipatingina Mine workersarrestedforstrikeaction:On19 August imprisonment. signatures forapetitionweresentenced3and6years Jamil MohammadiandJaffar Azimzadeh whocollected40,000 fully controlledandsocialmediaisfilteredbythegovernment. to distributenewslettersattheirworkplace. The internetis Freedom ofassemblyandspeech:Unionsarenotpermitted to heavyprisonsentencesandcorporalpunishment. gitimate actionsfrom April 2014toMarch2015andsentenced Arrests: At least65workerswerearrestedforpeacefulandle- IRAN | 5 tenced tolong-termimprisonment, whichtheyhaveappealed. Beheshti-Langaroudi, and Alireza Hashemi, havebeensen- leading TAI members, Messrs Ali-Akbar Baghani, Mahmoud contacts withoppositiongroupsabroadwascommuted. Other a15-yearsentenceafterhisdeathfor is serving (3 years). Another member ofthe TAI, Abdolreza Ghabari, Mohammad Davari(sixyears)andMehdiFarahi-Shandiz Bagheri (fourandahalfyears), RassoulBodaghi(six years), long-termprisonsentences,are nowserving namelyMahmood At leastfivemembersofthe Teachers’ AssociationofIran(TAI) Mostafapour, Afshin NadimiandHadi Tanoumand. Khaled Hosseini, MohammadKarimi, JamalMinashiri, Ghassem sentences. They includeMessrs Vafa Ghaderi, GhalebHosseini from onetothreeandahalfyearsareappealingtheir members oftheCCHFWOhavebeensentencedtoprisonterms prisontermsintheKurdistanprovince ofIran.serving Other Ab-Kharabat, MohammadMolanaeiand Vahed Seyedeh, are Help Form Workers’ Organisations(CCHFWO), Messrs Yousef At leastthreemembersoftheCoordinatingCommitteeto fiveyearsinprison. activist isserving Establishment ofLabourUnions(CPELU)andachildrights Behnam EbrahimzadehoftheCommitteetoPursue sociate andtoorganise. sentences merelyforexercisingtheirfundamentalrighttoas- prison inIranandmanyothersarefacinglong-term Twelve otherunionistsandlabouractivistsarecurrentlyin weekend after1May. were attemptingtoassembleforasocialgatheringonthefirst labour activistsaswelltheirfamiliesandassociateswho On 2Mayarreststargetedseveralworkers, tradeunionistsand released afewhoursafter. were transferredtothenotoriousEvinPrison, where they were Suburbs BusCompany, includingIbrahimMadadi, beforethey bus workers’uniontheSyndicateof Workers of Tehran and On MayDaytheauthoritiesarrested23membersof Tehran includingKurdistanProvince. across thecountry with theMayDaydemonstrationsin2014anumberofcities summoned forinterrogationsandwerewarnednottogoahead in ward209Evinprison. A numberofotherunionistswere Shapour Ehsaniradwerereleased, buttheothertwo remain 91

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MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 92 Labour Code. activities. Domesticworkersareexcludedfromthe2010 enjoy therighttojoinatradeunionandparticipateinits The 2010LabourCodeprovidesthatonlyKuwaitiworkers any provisioninthisregard. and asthespeciallawgoverningtheirstatusdoesnotcontain they areexcludedfromthescopeof2010LabourCode, ment employeesareseeminglydeniedtherighttoorganiseas or joiningaunion, orfromholdingaunionoffice:Govern- Categories ofworkersprohibitedorlimitedfromforming donations withoutapprovalbytheMinistry. financial orrealstatespeculationsandfromacceptinggifts ters. Furthermore, tradeunionsareprohibitedfrominvestingin political activityoractivitiesinvolvingreligioussectarianmat- formulate programmes: Trade unionsmaynotengagein Restrictions ontherighttofreelyorganiseactivitiesand whiletheircasesarebeingtried. country court andtheworkersconcernedarenotallowedtostayin peal ortotelltheirsideofthestory. Very fewcasesmakeitto reported “absconding”, withoutgrantingthemtherighttoap- their rights, whowas heexplainedtheysimplydeporteveryone Government bodiesdonotallowworkerstosueemployersfor disputes. and Social Affairs' consistentfailuretodealfairlywithlabour ofLabour he hadresignedincondemnationoftheMinistry that Union Federation'sexpatofficeexplainedinaninterview Mr. Abdulrahman al-Ghanim, formerheadoftheKuwait Trade and arevulnerabletoappallingexploitation. InNovember 2014 workers inKuwaitstilldonothavetherighttoformtradeunions, Migrant workersdeportediftheydarecomplain: KUWAIT | 4 migrant domesticworkers, reformshavebeeninsignificant. Lebanese officialsthattheywouldimprove conditionsfor physical abuse. Despiterepeatedpublicannouncementsby refusal toprovideanytimeoff, forcedlabour, andverbal payment ofwages, forcedconfinementtotheworkplace, a include mistreatmentbyrecruiters, non-paymentordelayed sies oflabour-sending countriesandnongovernmentalgroups The mostcommoncomplaintsdocumentedbytheembas- exploitation. Lebanese labourers, leavingthemvulnerabletoabuseand are inadequatelegalsafeguardsformigrantworkersandsome to freedomofassociationandcollectivebargaining, andthere As aresult, thousandsofworkershavebeendeniedtheright tives ofaunion. explicitly deniedtherighttoelectorbeelectedasrepresenta- article 92oftheLabourCode, allforeignworkersarealso from SriLanka, Ethiopia, thePhilippines, andNepal. Under an estimated250,000migrantdomesticworkers, primarily protections affordedotherworkers. FamiliesinLebanonemploy domestic workers, bothLebaneseandmigrants, denyingthem The 1946LebaneseLabourCodespecificallyexcludes Sejaan Azzi denouncedtheunionasillegal, mediareportssaid. received noresponsetotheirrequest, andtheLabourMinister union’s foundingcongress. Butunionmemberssaidtheyhad 350 domesticworkersofvariousnationalitiesgatheredforthe Workers andEmployees(FENASOL)inLebanon, approximately Confederation (ITUC), andtheFederationof Trade Unionsof Labour Organisation(ILO), theInternational Trade Union 2015,On 25January withthesupportofInternational and offices, andsomeothersimilarcategories. with disabilities, inhomes thosewhoprovidecleaningservices and otherswhoprovidecareinhomesfortheelderlythose labour code. The proposed unionwouldincludedomesticworkers who arecurrentlyexcludedfromtheprotectionofLebanese toformaunionfordomesticworkers,to theLabourMinistry 29 December2014, sixLebaneseworkerssubmitted arequest Domestic workersstilldeniedunionrepresentation:On LEBANON | 4 time asovertimeand productionbonuses. Howeverthecom- the boardofdirectors, totakeeffect lastOctober, atthesame obtained increasesfromSNIM, theleveltobedeterminedby Workers (CGTM)explainedthatworkershadnegotiatedand oftheGeneralConfederationMauritanian General Secretary honour payrisesagreedon3May2014. Mohamed Abdallahi, 2015todemandthatthecompany on strike28January at theNationalIndustrialandMiningCompany(SNIM)went harassment andintimidationofuniondelegates:Workers Bad faith followedby bargainingbyminingcompany in thelasteightyears. the country, yettherehasonly beenoneconvictionforslavery until2007.slavery There areanestimated180,000slavesin reportedly leavingfourinjured. Mauritaniadidnotcriminalise trial. The policeusedteargas andbatonstodispersethecrowd, outside thecourthouseandprosecutor'sofficeduring tions ofthedefendants’rights. Dozensofsupportersprotested ahead however, andwasriddledwithirregularitiesviola- arrests atthetimeandmanyprotestsfollowed. The trialwent Workers’ ConfederationofMauritania(CGTM)condemnedthe the trial. Nationaltradeunioncentres, includingtheGeneral Five othershadbeenarrestedwiththembutwereacquittedat feature inthecountry’s ownNationalRoadmaptoEndSlavery. the rightofslavefarmerstoownlandtheycultivate, akey November 2014followingtheirparticipationinarallycallingfor 2015.January The threehadbeenheldincustodysince11 and DjibySow, NGOKawtalon15 presidentoftheanti-slavery (IRA), theIRA’s vice-presidentBrahimOuldBilalRamdane, president oftheNGOResurgence Abolitionist Movement activistsBiramOuldDah Ould Mauritanian anti-slavery Abeid, the sentencingtotwoyears’imprisonmentofthreeprominent trade unionissue. The proposal toholdtheralliesfollowed as ablatantviolationofalllabourrights, haslongbeena involve themselvesinpolitics, ignoringthefactthatslavery, it. The groundsforrefusalwerethattradeunionsshouldnot andthelaws surrounding awareness totheissueofslavery International DevelopmentCooperation(AECID), todrawpublic and DarNaim, incollaborationwiththeSpanish Agency for 2015,right toholdatworallieson27and28January inKissal the FreeConfederationofMauritanian Workers (CLTM) the rally; earlierprotestsrepressed: The governmentrefused National centrerefusedtherighttoholdanti-slavery MAURITANIA | 4 March 2015thedisputehadstillnotbeenresolved. restock theon-sitestorefordurationofstrike. Bylate company housingandthatthewasrefusingto reported thatworkershadbeenthreatenedwithevictionfrom The FreeConfederationofMauritanian Workers (CLTM) also authorities claimedwouldbeaffected. the factthatplannedroutedidnotgothrougharea the groundsthattheirmarchwoulddisrupttraffic, despite They wererefusedpermissionbytheauthoritieshowever, on solidarity withtheSNIMworkers’strikeatendofFebruary. The strikedraggedon, andtheCGTMannouncedamarchin missal, whichwasablatantretaliationforhisroleinthestrike. himself againstthecharges. The CNTMprotestedatthedis- for lackofrespecttoasuperior, withoutbeingabletodefend Workers, (CNTM), 2015, wassackedon12February supposedly at SNIM, affiliatdtotheNationalConfederationofMautitanian Ahmed Vall Cheibani, theleaderofoneworkers’unions stoppage becameanall-outstrike. with theiraction, andwhathadbeenforeseenasasix-hour communicate withtheircolleagues. The workerswentahead 2015, obviousattempttomakeitdifficultforthem inavery until 4February that theywouldbelaidofffrom28January Yaya Gaye andMohamedouldSalem, wereinformed threeunionrepresentatives,27 January Ahmed ould Abeily, Abeily, weresummonedtoappearbeforethelocalPrefect. On two unionrepresentatives, KénéméDembaand Ahmed ould before arallywasduetostart. Then ontheevening22January ate parkedapolicevehicleoutsidetheunionpremisesshortly hold meetingswiththeworkers, andthelocalpolice in Zouer express ordersnottousetheirofficesoncompanypremises take partinthestoppage. The workers’delegatesweregiven distributed flyersintheworkplacewarningworkersnotto ers andexertpressureontheirunionleaders. The company demands, thecompanywasquicktointimidatework - topressfortherespectoftheir be astoppageon28January therewould When theunionfinallyannouncedon14January convinced itneverseriouslyintendedtohonouritsagreement. pany constantlydelayedtheprocess, andtheunionbecame - 93

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MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 94 join aunion. 90% ofthetotalworkforceisexcludedfromrighttoformor joining aunionduetocategoricalexclusionsinlaw. Inpractice, this regard. Numerousworkersareprecludedfromformingor of association. EvenQatarinationalshaveonlylimitedrightsin mental humanandlabourrights, includingtherighttofreedom policiesandpracticesthatviolate theirfunda- discriminatory other migrantworkersintheGulfregion, theyfacesevere, infrastructure andstadiaforthe2022 World Cup. Likemany are recruitedinvastnumbers, largelyfromSouth Asia, tobuild 1.2 millionworkers. That figurecontinuestorise, asworkers comprise roughly94%ofQatar’s workforce, equaltoabout Exclusion ofmigrantworkers: Today, migrantworkers incommunicado forlongperiodsbeforeeventualdeportation. Doha DetentionCentrewheremigrantworkersareoftenheld those arrestedarebelievedtobeheadingforthenotorious with aplasticpipewhenpolicearrivedtostartthearrests, and attacked workers Witnesses havereportedthatasupervisor then forcedtoworkforwagesone-thirdlowerthanpromised. passports wereconfiscatedandcontractstornup. Theywere leaving theirhomecountriesforQatar;onarrivalinDoha poverty wages. The workershadsignedcontractsbefore protest againstbreachesofemploymentcontractsand as QatarMiddleEastCo. –wentonstrikeinNovember 2014in companies –QatarFreelance Trading andContractingaswell 800 constructionworkersemployedbytwosubcontracting Around 100strikingmigrantworkersarrested: many casesmigrant workersareabusedbytherecruitment of variousforms exploitation inconditionsakintoslavery. In 90 to95%oftheprivatesectorworkforce. Manyarevictims migrants arelegallyemployedinSaudi Arabia. They makeup Exploitation ofmigrantworkers: Approximately 8.3million SAUDI ARABIA QATAR | | 5 5 at theirembassy. away despitehavingtheirpassportconfiscatedandseekrefuge cannot continuetoworknorcanhe/shereturnhome. Somerun dispute withhis/heremployerisatanimpasse:he/she of legalproceedingsmeanthatamigrantwhoisin ment ofwagesetc. Thissponsorshipandtheslowness tion ofpassportsbyemployers, forcedlabour, non-pay- The systemlendsitselftoabusessuchastheconfisca- written consentoftheiroriginalemployerorguarantor. withoutthe not changeemployerorleavethecountry work permittotheemployer’s goodwill. Amigrantcan- The kafala (sponsorship)systemlinkstheworker’s earn inSaudi Arabia. agencies whopromisethemfarmorethantheycanactually UGTT hadplayeda leading roleinthecountry’s transitionto guards thatHoucine Abassi managed toescapeunharmed. The It wasonlythanksto thevigilanceofUGTT’s security were brokenasstonesthrownatthem byexternalinfiltrators. Mohamed Ali squareinthecentreof Tunis. The carwindows 13 November2014ashewasleaving his officebycar, in was thetargetofaviolentattackon eveningof also presidentofthe Arab Trade UnionConfederation(ATUC), federation, theUniongénéraletunisiennedutravail(UGTT), and Abassi, ofthe theGeneralSecretary Tunisian tradeunioncon- Physical attackonnationaltradeunionleader:Houcine punishment forthestrike. to respect. Furthermore, the workerslosttwodays’payas Yet morepromisesweremade, thatthegovernmentstillfailed were invain. Finallythestrikewentaheadon18and19June. ers. MeetingswiththeMinisterofInteriortoresolveissue progress onlegislationtoprotecttherightsofmunicipalwork- unfreezing ofallpromotionsformunicipalworkers, andgreater demands includedthepaymentofbonusesfrom2011, the Salmi, Generaloftheunion, theSecretary explainedthattheir previous agreementsthatithadsofarfailedtohonour. Naceur strike byrefusecollectorsifthegovernmentdidnotrespect General FederationofMunicipal Workers announcedatwo-day agreement withrefusecollectors:On29May2014 Bad faith fails bargaining-government torespect TUNISIA | 4 be paidtheequivalentofsevenyears’salary. went onhungerstrikewouldnotbereinstated, buttheywould would beallowedtoreturnworkon18 August. The twothat of thecommitteesetuptosupportthemthattwofour France, andin August itwas reportedontheFacebookpage Their protestattractedwidespreadsupportin Tunisia and was reportedthatSoniaJebali’s healthwasinseriousdanger. including theUGTTdelegateSoniaJebali. On6July2014it them resortedtogoingonhungerstrikedemandtheirrights, was madefortheremainingfour, andon19June2014twoof support, includingprotestdemonstrations. Nofurtherprogress missed workerswerereinstatedfurthertoastrongcampaignof principal leadersoftheunion. InMarch2014sixofthetendis- contracts. Ten workersweredismissed, includingthetwo contracts ofover200workers, mostlywomen, onfixed-term tions toFranceforseveralmonths, andrefusingtorenewthe threatening toclosethefactory, transferringpartofitsopera- at thebeginningof2012companysetouttodestroyit, in2012.formed atthefactory Eversincetheunionwasformed to refusereinstatetheleadersofUGTTbranchunion manufactures cablesfortheaeronauticalindustry, continued ers: SEALatelecFouchana, aFrench-ownedcompanythat refusestoreinstateunionlead- Aeronautical company port strikethatparalysedpublictransportin Tunis for4days. its organisation. The threatscamejustafteritendorsedatrans- The UGTThadseenarecentriseinattacksandthreatsagainst general’sdetonate acarbombduringthesecretary motorcade. theUGTTreceivedanotherthreatto the morningof16January swept theareaandimplementedheavysecuritymeasures. On med Ali SquareoutsidetheUGTTheadquarters. Securityforces basi. The calleralsothreatenedtotriggerabombinMoham- Houcine threatening toassassinateitsGeneralSecretary Ab- générale tunisiennedutravail(UGTT), 2015 on15January phoned the Tunisian tradeunionconfederation, theUnion Death threatsagainstUGTTleader: An anonymouscaller in thecountry. democracy, andplaysacrucialroleinensuringsocialstability far toomeagreinfaceofthenumbermigrants. however, notablybecausetheLabourMinistry’s resources are not beenenoughtopreventdelaysinthepaymentofwages transfer thattheauthoritiesareabletoverify. This measurehas companies topaytheirworkers’wagesviaelectronicbank that hasprogressivelybeensetinplacesince2009obliges protest riskprisonanddeportation. The payprotectionsystem the meanstodenounceexploitationtheysuffer. Those who have therighttojoinaunionorgoonstrike, theydon’thave tion migrantsareusuallyexposedto. As migrantworkersdonot suffered physicalandsexualabuse, inadditiontotheexploita- vulnerable thanmigrantsinothersectors. Manysaytheyhave by thelabourlegislation, domesticworkersareevenmore signed beforeleaving, etc. As domesticworkisnotcovered by theemployer, changesuponarrivaltothecontractthey wages, excessivelylongworkinghours, passportsconfiscated workers. They areoftenpreytoextremeexploitation: unpaid over 88.5%ofthepopulation, andmanyofthemare migrant Exploitation ofmigrantworkers:Non-nationalsaccountfor UNITED ARAB EMIRATESUNITED ARAB | 5 95

| MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA | 96 FOREWORD 1. Article 23 (4) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948); Article 8 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966); Article 11 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966); Sec. I (b) Declaration concerning the aims and purposes of the International Labour Organization (1944); Article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights (1950); Article 5 European Social Charter (1961); Article 6 European Social Charter (1961); Article 6(4) European Social Charter (1961) 2. ILO, Collective Bargaining: Negotiating for Social Justice, 2009 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---dialogue/documents/publication/wcms_172415.pdf) 3. Eurofound, Working Conditions and Social Dialogue, 2009 (http://eurofound.europa.eu/sites/ default/files/ef_files/pubdocs/2009/43/en/1/EF0943EN.pdf); ILO Global Wage Report 2014/2015 (http://www.ilo.org/public/libdoc/ilo/P/09258/09258%282014-15%29_engl.pdf); Economic Policy Institute, Unions, inequality, and faltering middle-class wages, 2012 (http://www.epi.org/publication/ib342-unions-inequality-faltering-middle-class/). 4. ITUC Global Poll 2014 (http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ituc_global_poll_2014_en_web.pdf) 5. Civicus State of Civil Society Report 2014 (http://civicus.org/index.php/en/socs2014) Endnotes

PART I 1. For more detail on the methodology see (http://survey.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/methodological_fra- mework.pdf) 2. List of indicators is adapted from Sari and Kucera, ILO Working Paper 99, 2011 (http://natlex.ilo. ch/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/documents/publication/wcms_150702.pdf) 3. Digest of decisions and principles of the Freedom of Association Committee of the Governing Body of the ILO, 2006 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_norm/@normes/documents/ publication/wcms_090632.pdf) 4. ILO General Survey on Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, 1994 (http://www.ilo.org/ public/libdoc/ilo/P/09661/09661%281994-81-4B%29.pdf

PART II 1. African Outlook Report for 2014 (http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/fileadmin/uploads/ aeo/2014/PDF/E-Book_African_Economic_Outlook_2014.pdf) 2. ILO, The Informal Economy in Africa, 2009 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/- --emp_policy/documents/publication/wcms_127814.pdf) 3. ILO, Labour Inspection in Africa (http://www.ilo.org/public/libdoc/ilo /P/09707/09707%282005-3-4%2929-35.pdf) 4. WHO, Ebola Data (http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.ebola-sitrep.ebola-summary- 20150410?lang=en) 5. The Guardia, Ebola: Liberian nurses strike, 2 September 2014 (http://www.theguardian.com/ world/2014/sep/02/ebola-liberian-nurses-strike-lack-protective-equipment); CBS News, After losing 10 colleagues to Ebola, Sierra Leone doctors go on strike (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ ebola-outbreak-after-10-deaths-sierra-leone-doctors-strike-for-better-treatment/) 6. The World Bank, The Socio-Economic Impacts of Ebola in Sierra Leone (http://www.worldbank.org/ en/topic/poverty/publication/socio-economic-impacts-ebola-sierra-leone) 7. Financial Times, Eurozone unemployment refuses to budge from near-record highs, 1 April 2014 (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1f76de66-b97c-11e3-b74f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3WisjsJzo) 8. Annual Growth Survey, COM(2014) 902 final 9. Jakub Wiśniewski, Convergence toward the European Social Model? Review of European and Russian Affairs vol. 1 no. 1 December 2005 (http://carleton.ca/rera/wp-content/uploads/Vol1- 1-Wisneiwski.pdf) 10. European Commission, An Investment Plan for Europe (http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/jobs-growth- investment/plan/docs/an-investment-plan-for-europe_com_2014_903_en.pdf) 11. Reuters, Russia in recession in 2015, ruble to stay pressured, 22 December 2014 (http://www. reuters.com/article/2014/12/22/us-russia-crisis-economy-poll-idUSKBN0K01LT20141222) 12. The Guardian, Russia’s rouble crisis poses threat to nine countries relying on remittances, 18 January 2015 (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/18/russia-rouble-threat-nine- countries-remittances)

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