Mr. President of the Republic,
The National Confederation of Workers of Senegal (CNTS), which represents ONE HUNDRED and TWENTY THOUSAND (120,000) workers in Senegal, strongly condemns the recent raids and arrests of union leaders in the Philippines. The offensive by the joint forces of the army and the police is once again targeting trade unions and trade unions.
For too long, the Philippine State has stigmatized trade unions for their ideologies, in violation of the principle of freedom of association. Trade union organizations are seen as the legal showcases of a clandestine armed struggle movement, and arrested activists are regularly accused of possessing firearms and ammunition – which state agents have placed at home. them to justify the charges. Recent searches and arrests only aggravate the existing coercive environment, preventing workers from forming and joining unions, and unions from carrying out their legitimate activities.
It is the responsibility of all ILO member States to promote and ensure a climate free from violence, coercion and threats in any form against trade union leaders and their families who exercise the rights and the freedoms defined in ILO Conventions Nos. 87 and 98, including the right not to be arrested and arbitrarily detained, and the right to access to fair and independent justice.
In addition, the arrests and searches violate section V, B (10) and (11) of the Guiding Principles of the Ministry of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). , the Department of National Defense (DND), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) with respect to the exercise of rights and activities Filipino workers. It is clearly forbidden for the State and the national security forces to intervene in labor relations and to force workers to give up their union membership.
Civil servants are required to respect the role of the Ministry of Labor and Employment in labor-related disputes and to always obey human rights laws and standards.
We urge the Government of the Philippines:
- to put an end to targeted attacks against legitimate trade union organizations and trade union activists;
- to implement the recommendations made by the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards in June 2019;
- to accept the high-level tripartite mission of the ILO, which proposes to visit the Philippines as soon as possible.
We support the call of the ITUC affiliates in the Philippines for the intervention of the Minister of Labor and Employment, Silvestre Bello, to the military and police forces to:
- to discuss and investigate national and regional tripartite monitoring bodies regarding recent arrests and searches and targeting of trade union organizations;
- deal expeditiously with the 43 cases of extrajudicial executions brought by the unions;
- apply the Guiding Principles of DOLE, DILG, DND, DOJ, AFP and PNP regarding the exercise of workers’ rights.
The National Confederation of Workers of Senegal (CNTS) affirms its solidarity with fellow trade unionists in the Philippines and pays close attention to the country’s trade union and human rights situation.
Please accept, Mr. President of the Republic, the expression of our deep respect,
Mody GUIRO
Secrétaire Général de la CNTS
Président de la CSI Afrique
Siège : Rue 8 Immeuble Mamadou Ousmane Face Dispensaire de Bopp
Tél : +221338254646 Télécopie : +221338254647
Courriels : cnts@orange.sn / c
Web : www.cnts.sn
