Paris, Thursday, September 14, 2000 Colombia Tops Unions' Peril List
The Associated Press
GENEVA - At least half of the more than 140 union members who disappeared or were killed last year came from Colombia, making it the world's most dangerous place for organized labor, a labor group said Wednesday. In its annual survey of violations of union rights, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions found that 676 death threats were issued against Colombian union members last year. At least 69 were killed, down from 91 the previous year, and 22 were kidnapped.
Bill Jordan, general secretary of the confederation, cited ''ruthless repression in Latin America, attacks and interference in Asia, arrests and imprisonment in Africa, severe restrictions and nonpayment of wages in Eastern Europe and a growing trend to union-busting in industrialized countries.''
The report said 90 union members were killed in Latin America last year. The region also accounted for 70 percent of the 3,000 arrested worldwide for union activity. More than 1,500 union members worldwide were injured or tortured, and at least 5,800 were harassed because of ''legitimate trade union activities,'' the report said. It added that 12,000 were fired because of union activity.
The survey said 37 unionists died during strikes in Asia and the Pacific. It also found high levels of government interference in Eastern Europe. Across Europe, seven unionists were killed, four of them in Russia, the agency said. The group has affiliates in 145 countries representing more than 123 million workers.