Measuring Democracy - The ICFTU

#ffffff;" />used for the assessment that is similar to a set of
International Confederation of Free Trade Unionsindicators that is proposed for AI data, or as raw
publishes annual report about the violations of labormaterial for some broader set of indicators. Because
and union rights that is covering 148 countries andof type of data and the fact that they are mainly
territories. The organization is founded in 1949 anddescriptive and record problems or their absence, it is
has 225 affiliated organizations in 148 countries.not possible to use more sensitive scale then the one
Affiliates are unions, union confederations or peakpresented for AI. The scale could contain value of 0
level associations. Association maintains close linksfor absence, 0.5 for the presence was that not
with different UN bodies and has consultative statuswidespread and not result of deliberate policy or
in some of them. The area of concern of thisdeliberate failure to prevent such events, and 1
organization are the respect and defense of tradewidespread occurrence or systematic occurrence by
union and workers' rights, the eradication of forcedgovernment institutions and government unwillingness
and child labor, the promotion of equal rights forto prevent it.
working women, the environment, educationThe indicators that could be used:
programs for trade unionists and encouragement of1. The restrictions or obstacles on the right to strike
unionization of young workers. ICFTU annual reportand demonstrations (legal restrictions and limitations
covers the area of labor rights violations and actionsof different type and different types of obstacles
against trade unions that took place in the year ofraised by employers like the threats of dismissal)
the report. Countries are divided into five regions:2. Discrimination of trade union activists and unfair
Africa, Asia and Pacific, Americas, Middle East anddismissal (discrimination on the work place)
Europe. Reports are made by local affiliates of ICFTU.3. Obstacles or restrictions to trade union organization
Summary statistics are given for different categories(legal restrictions and obstacles raised by employers
of violations of rights of workers and union activistsor the state not based on the labor code)
related to trade union activities:4. Harassment and violence against activists and
1. Number of cases of deaths and assassinationsviolent suppression of strikes (of any sort and by
2. Number of cases of beating and tortureany actor)
3. Number of cases of arrests and detentions5. Arrest and detention of trade union activist and
4. Number of cases of strikes and demonstrationsworkers; death and murder of trade union activists
repressedThe scale that could be constructed would look like
5. Number of cases of unfair dismissalsthis:
6. Number of cases of government interference1.0 indicates no presence of this type of violation.
7. Number of cases of restrictive strike laws2.0.5 indicates that the presence was not widespread
Main body of the report are country reports that areand not result of deliberate policy or deliberate failure
organized into regional summaries that give briefto prevent such events.
picture of the regional situation and individual country1 indicated widespread occurrence, systematic
reports that can be substantially different in theiroccurrence by government forces and government
form. Since the report register only violations theunwillingness to prevent it.
focus and content of report vary sharply from oneThe countries included in the report divided by
case to the other, and so does the length of theregions are:
report, depending on the type of violations observed.In the Americas: Argentina, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil,
Like AI and HRW some reports only mention generalCanada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica,
data about violations and some go into more detailedDominican, Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
descriptions. One of the problems that require careGuyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua,
with the use of these reports is that some policyPanama, Paraguay, Peru, St Vincent and Grenadines,
measures of governments are presented as rightsTrinidad & Tobago, USA, Venezuela.
violations although they are conducted within the law.In Asia: Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burma
Country reports are not prepared according to a(Myanmar), Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Hong Kong,
common standard and methodology, so, like AI andIndia, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Laos,
HRW, they do not have common indicators ofMacau, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, New Zealand, North
violations and not even common subsections. But in aKorea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Solomon
large number of the reports, though not in all, thereIslands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan,
are sections that are dealing with the restrictions orThailand, Turkey, Vietnam.
with obstacles on the right to strike, legal restrictionsIn Europe: Andorra, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria,
on the right to strike and trade unions activity,Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia,
discrimination of trade union activists and theirGermany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova,
dismissal, obstacles to trade union organization,Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain,
harassment and violence against activists, arrests ofSwitzerland, UK, Ukraine, Yugoslavia.
activists and observance of collective agreements.In the Middle East and North Africa: Bahrain, Iran,
The data the report provides are almost entirelyIraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman,
descriptive. The report is accessible on the web sitePalestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria,
of ICFTU.United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
The data that can be found in this report can be