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Trade Union Leaders BailedTrade unions
Trade unionists are at the forefront of the struggle for human rights.
Many have lost their lives or risked their liberty in their attempts to claim basic human rights. These include freedom of association, the right to organise and engage in collective bargaining and freedom of speech.
Trade unionists are ordinary men and women. They have deeply held convictions, political beliefs and commitment to trade union ideals. These can make them prime targets of government repression. They have to deal with their organisations being banned, harassment, political killings and 'disappearances', arbitrary detention, torture, exile and murder.
News
Trade unionists sentenced to jail in Tunisia 17 December 2008 A court in Tunisia has handed down sentences of up to 10 years' imprisonment against 33 workers and trade union activists after an unfair trial. Trade union leader Adnan Hajji and 37 others were accused of leading unrest in the phosphate-rich Gafsa region of south-east Tunisia earlier this year. Read the full press release
Events
Changing the Face of Human Rights The British Institute of Human Rights' Annual Conference 2009 will take place
on Wednesday 28 January 2009, at the British Library, London NW1. Visit: http://www.bihr.org.uk/events/conferences for further details and to book your place.
Speakers include Jeremy Dear of the NUJ
Act now
Iranian teacher trade unionist at risk of execution Iranian prisoner Farzad Kamangar is at imminent risk of execution. Take action now
Zimbabwe: Trade Unionists Awaiting Trial
Lovemore Matombo and Wellington Chibebe, the President and General Secretary
of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) were arrested on 8 May for speaking
out about the state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe. Lovemore and Wellington are
due to appear in court on 17 September 2008 to defend themselves against these
charges. Please show your support for these brave trade unionists by clicking
on the accompanying icon to send them a solidarity message and to download a protest
letter.
Colombia: Fear for the safety of trade unionists and social activists For the last three months trade unions and human rights NGOs in Bucaramanga have
been organizing and taking part in demonstrations supporting workers' rights.
They have also been publicly condemning the activities of the paramilitary group
Black Eagles (Águilas Negras) in Santander Department. This has made them the
target of death threats. Take action
Trade Union Conference Report
Read the report from the Amnesty International UK Section Trade Union Conference. The event marked a watershed in the development of Amnesty's collaboration with unions and emphasised our support for human rights activism by the labour movement. Read More
Good news
Iran: Mahmoud Salehi released Jailed trade unionist Mahmoud Salehi was released from prison on the morning
of Sunday 6 April 2008. He is back home with his family and receiving many visitors
who wish to welcome him back. Amnesty, in partnership with the global union federations,
will continue to work to ensure that he and fellow trade unionists in Iran are
able to enjoy the fundamental rights which he and others have fought so hard to
defend and promote. Find out more
Iran: Jailed trade unionist receives urgent medical treatment Mansour Ossanlu, leader of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus
Company, was admitted to hospital for urgent eye surgery on 21 October 2007. Thank
you to all those who supported this appeal. Please continue to sign the petition calling for his release
Updates
Cambodia: Release scapegoats for Labor leader's murder Four years after the murder of Cambodia's most prominent labor union leader,
Chea Vichea, six leading international human rights organisations and the world's
largest trade union federation called on the Cambodian authorities to exonerate
and free the two men unfairly convicted for the crime. Read Amnesty's statement (PDF)
Colombia: Samuel Morales and Raquel Castro released Trade unionists Samuel Morales and Raquel Castro were released from jail in November
2007. Following her release, Raquel Castro presented Amnesty International with
an embroidered picture to thank members for their solidarity during her time in
prison on charges of rebellion.
Amnesty considers that Samuel Morales and Raquel Castro have had unfair trials, and will pay close attention to the appeals that they are undertaking against their convictions. Amnesty is still monitoring their situation, as many social activists accused and detained on charges of rebellion have been the target of serious human rights violations subsequent to their release. Find out more
Sign up to the trade union e-network
The trade union network offers a bi-monthly e-newsletter, containing actions, news and events. The newsletter is of professional interest to those with a trade union connection or affinity, including those concerned with freedom of expression and health-related rights. To register, please create a MyAmnesty profile and choose the trade union specialist network option.
Past Events
Challenging Impunity: Trade unionists in Guatemala speak of their struggle
Grinding poverty and the explosion of the informal economy, harsh working conditions in the maquilas, sexual and racial discrimination... more than ten years after the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords, life for workers in this Central American country is still very difficult, as impunity, corruption and the assassination of trade unionists have become dangerously commonplace.
On 3 November Amnesty hosted an event in which Carlos Humberto Carballo General Secretary of the CUSG union federation and María de los Ángeles Ruano from the UNSITRAGUA spoke about defending human rights and tackling impunity. They were joined by representatives from Amnesty International and the global unions ITF and IUF for a panel question and answer session.
Download the flyer for this event here (PDF)
Read a short background document prepared by the British trade union GMB here
Download the Amnesty Report "Central America: Persecution and resistance: The experience of human rights defenders in Guatemala and Honduras" here (tambien disponible en Español)
The International Transport Workers' Federation has been campaigning for justice for the family of murdered dockworkers' union leader Pedro Zamora, who was assassinated in front of his children in January 2007
 | Find out more: www.itfglobal.org/campaigns/zamora.cfm |
 | The International Trade Union Confederation has a web page on trade unions and impunity in Guatemala: www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?rubrique134 |
 | Find out about the International Union of Foodworkers activities in support of Banana workers and union rights in Guatemala here |
This event was also supported by:
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ACTSA Annual Conference
Trade Unionists from Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland headlined the ACTSA Annual Conference in London on Saturday 1st November. Download the event flyer here
Demonstration for democracy, rights and freedom for Zimbabwe on 23 June -
On 23 June Lovemore Matombo, President of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and Wellington Chibebe, General Secretary of ZCTU are due in court to face charges of spreading falsehoods prejudicial to the state.
As part of their bail conditions they are not allowed to address political or public gatherings. These charges and bail conditions are clear breaches of free speech and freedom to associate.
We urge people to protest at attempts to silence trade union leaders and human rights defenders, and at the state sponsored violence and intimidation which has intensified since the first round of elections in March. Find out more about this TUC and ACTSA demonstration
