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The UNI Management Committee has called for human rights and union rights to be observed in Colombia and the Philippines, where trade unionists are still regularly assassinated. The issue is expected to be raised at the International Labour Conference in Geneva in June.

“The situation in Colombia is serious and the political situation has been made worse by the targeting of trade unionists,” reported Ruben Cortina, the UNI-Americas President.

On March 8 bank union leader Leonidas Gomez was gunned down in his own apartment – another statistic in a country that is the most dangerous in the world to be a trade union member.



In the Philippines the government is under pressure to change its mind and accept a High Level mission from the ILO to investigate the killing of trade unionists there.

A UNI-Asia Pacific mission recently visited the Philippines and met families of the victims as well as affiliates, NGOs and government officials. The mission confirmed reports of extra-judicial killings and human rights violations.

Media workers too have been targeted in the Philippines and the government is being pressed to investigate thoroughly the killings and bring the perpetrators to justice. UNI will work with the International Federation of Journalists in helping to uphold human and union rights and press freedom in the Philippines.



In both Colombia and the Philippines killings have generally gone without investigation up to now - a point pressed on Colombian officials during a visit there by a UNI-Americas missionin April following the assassination of Leonidas. Another UNI mission is due to visit Colombia later this year.

UNI-Americas Secretary Rodolfo Benitez reported on the killing of Rosa Altagracia Fuentes, General Secretary of the Workers’ Confederation of Honduras and on rights abuses in Guatemala. Ms Fuentes had been active in tackling abuses in the export processing zones. “All she did was try to defend workers in her country.”

“There is a spiral of violence against the trade union movement. Governments don’t seem to be interested in finding a solution - we are extremely concerned,” said Rodolfo.



Deputy General Secretary Philip Bowyer reported on the growing intimidation of voters in Zimbabwe to try and break the popular support for the union-backed Movement for Democratic Change.

The MDC won the recent parliamentary elections. In the separate vote for the Presidency a run-off election is likely after a month long delay in publishing the results of the first ballot that gave the MDC’s Morgan Tsvangirai a lead over Robert Mugabe.

South African unions have been active in the campaign for democracy in Zimbabwe reported Philip. “It’s important that we continue to support our colleagues in Zimbabwe – it’s important for democracy across the continent and beyond.”

The media reports that the MDC says the official death toll of their supporters killed in post-election violence has risen to 25, but the party fears the figure could be higher.