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'Latin America remains the deadliest continent for trade unionists with over 66 murdered in 2008' |
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ITUC, June 2009
Worldwide in 2008, at least 76 labour activists were killed as a result of their actions for workers’ rights. Latin America remains the deadliest continent for trade unionists with over 66 murdered in 2008. 49 Colombian trade unionists lost their lives (including 16 union leaders, 4 of whom were women), a 25% increase over 2007. Trade unionists were also killed in Guatemala (9), Honduras (3) and Venezuela (4) among others.
Read the 2009 Annual Survey of violations of trade union rights published by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
Visit our Guatemala campaign page to learn more about the situation in the banana sector.
In Guatemala, anti-union violence is constant, with assassinations, threats, harassment, shootings at people’s homes, raids and attacks on union offices, and assaults and harassment of trade union leaders and their families. In most cases, these actions have not been punished. In the course of the year, more than 20 leaders of unions, indigenous groups and peasant farmers were murdered and the union movement was subjected to a level of persecution reminiscent of the practices used during armed conflict.
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