Colombia Again Leads World in Trade Unionists Killed

Last year, Colombia once more led the world in the number of trade unionists murdered, according to a survey released November 20, 2008 by the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation.

The ITUC reported 91 trade unionists killed in 2007, 39 of whom were murdered in Colombia, representing over 40% of the world's total. Colombia is destined to lead the world again in 2008, with more trade unionists killed this year, 41 as of November 1, than last year.

The ITUC report comes in the midst of one more push for the pending Colombia Free Trade Agreement, with the U.S.'s top newspapers calling this past week for passage of the controversial agreement before Congress adjourns this year. The New York Times this week joined the editorial pages of The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal in calling for approval, arguing that there has been sufficient progress against trade union violence under the government of President Uribe to pave the way for passage.

With Colombia again being the most dangerous country in which to be a trade unionist, the ITUC report offers a sobering perspective on what the U.S. editorial pages, Uribe, and the Bush Administration believe constitutes progress.

In 2007, Guinea was a surprising second with 30 murders, due to "brutal repression of union-organized public demonstrations."

The third country cited in the ITUC press release accompanying the survey was Guatemala, where the ITUC expressed concerns about rising violence against trade unionists, with four unionists murdered in 2007. As USLEAP has previously reported, in 2008 there have been at least five more trade-union related murders in Guatemala.

See the full report on the ITUC website.