Colombia remains the most dangerous place on earth to be a trade unionist, with 70 people killed there last year for union activities.

In addition, 260 Colombian trade unionists received death threats “in a climate of continuing impunity for the assassins, according to the annual survey released today by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

Right-wing paramilitary groups and the state security forces have been blamed for most of the violence in Colombia. The ICFTU also records slayings in Brazil and Honduras, and a “pervasive climate of violence and fear” in Guatemala.

Worldwide, a total of 115 people were murdered for defending workers’ rights in 2005, more than 1,600 were subjected to violent assaults and some 9,000 were arrested. Apart from Colombia, the report highlights violence and repression in Iraq, Iran, El Salvador, Djibouti, China, Cambodia, Guatemala, Zimbabwe and Burma.

Though the death toll was down from 145 in 2004, almost entirely due to fewer killings in Colombia, “we are nevertheless witnessing increasingly severe violence and hostility against working people who stand up for their rights,” said Guy Ryder, ICFTU general secretary.

Even in the industrialised world workers’ rights are frequently violated or eroded, the report says. The Bush administration is accused of encouraging “union-busting” through measures via its National Labour Relations Board to reduce the influence of trade unions.

The ICFTU also notes aggressive publicity campaigns in the US aimed at weakening workers’ trust in trade unions.

Australia is criticised for a wave of anti-union laws that it said would deprive most workers of protection from unfair dismissal.

Publication of the report by Brussels-based ICFTU, whose 233 affiliated organisations represent 145m workers, is timed to coincide with the annual conference of the International Labour Organisation now underway in Geneva.

The conference is expected to condemn Belarus for persistent interference in trade union affairs and to consider action against Burma for its refusal to end forced labour.

In Asia, violence against trade unionists by police and security forces was documented last year in Burma, South Korea, India, Cambodia and China, where dozens of trade union activists continue to be incarcerated.

In the Middle East, 13 union representatives were assassinated in Iraq and there were reports of torture and violence against strikers in Iran. In several other countries trade unions are outlawed or severely restricted.

In Africa, the report singles out Djibouti and Zimbabwe, where the trade union movement suffers constant harassment by the government of President Robert Mugabe.

© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2006

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