(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The year 2011 was a "difficult and often dangerous year " for workers throughout the world who faced dismissal, arrest, imprisonment and even death according to the annual survey published here Wednesday by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
This year's survey examines 143 countries.
It notes that Colombia is once again the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists. Of the 76 people murdered for their trade union activities, not counting the workers killed during the Arab Spring, 29 lost their lives in Colombia.
And in Guatemala yet again trade unionists paid a heavy price, with 10 assassinations committed with impunity. A further eight trade unionists were murdered in Asia.
The world economic crisis continued to impact unfairly on workers, as governments persisted in favouring austerity measures over stimulating growth and employment, says the ITUC survey. "The consequences have been devastating, particularly for the young. Unemployment reached 205 million in 2011. In Spain, 40 percent of young people are out of work while Greece has an unemployment rate of 21 percent," it said.
"The year 2011 was of course the year of the Arab Spring and the revolutions surrounding this in North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf States. The repression of trade union rights has been particularly harsh in these regions," claimed the survey.
The Brussels-based ITUC says it represents 175 million workers in 308 affiliated national organisations from 153 countries and territories.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.