In most countries in the Middle East region trade unions are still either banned or are controlled by one-party governments, concluded the annual survey of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), which covers 14 countries in the region.
The survey denounces the exploitation of foreign workers in Israel, particularly Chinese workers in the construction industry. The latter are recruited by Chinese middlemen who confiscate their passports and defraud them of their legal wages, whilst their rights are totally ignored and their working conditions are appalling.
The report stresses the devastating social impact of the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinian workers have been hardest hit, since they mostly rely on jobs in Israel for their survival. Palestinians are not allowed to form unions in Israel or to join the ones there either, however they are entitled to protection based on collective agreements negotiated by the national confederation, Histradut.
Yet mostly they are not able to enter Israel owing to the closure of borders. And when the borders are open they are subjected to draconian controls. Over 15,600 workers were arrested at checkpoints in 2001, on their way to and from work, and these hazardous journeys cost 23 of their lives.
In the West Bank and the Gaza Strip a new Palestinian Labor Code was signed by Yasser Arafat, however it had not yet come into force by the end of the year. Owing to the hostilities, the Palestinian economy has collapsed and there is a high level of unemployment. Normal trade union activities have, in practice, been suspended and the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) has focused its efforts on providing assistance to the poor and job creation strategies.
In Bahrain, despite its past of anti-union repression and its continued ban on unions in 2001, little progress was made by adopting a National Action Charter aimed at establishing democratic structures, which contains proposals to allow the establishment of unions.
A second small step forward was taken by Saudi Arabia, which despite also maintaining its ban on unions in 2001, did approve regulations on creating workers’ councils, which took effect in 2002. However these improvements are not yet sufficient to meet international labor standards, states the report.
Iran seems, in practice, gradually to be displaying greater tolerance towards trade union pluralism: indeed some protests by workers have not merely been tolerated, some of their demands have actually been met with a positive response. That said, legal restrictions have been retained and the repression has continued, according to ICFTU.
In the textiles sector in the region of Ispahan, several conflicts concerning non-payment of wages have led to arrests and injuries amongst peaceful protestors. With privatization going ahead, tens of thousands of workers have been sacked in the textile industry alone and protests about arrears in wages have increased considerably.
Other governments regularly promise to make changes to their legislation, though these promises prove to be empty more often than not, according to ICFTU. This has been the case with Iraq, Oman and Yemen. Despite awaiting legislative change and suffering from job losses owing to privatization, Yemen’s workers do at least have a functioning trade union organization.
During 2001, cases of abuse of immigrant domestic women workers continued to take place in Saudi Arabia, the organization said. Some of these women were even executed. As a result a number of countries do not allow their nationals to go and work in Saudi Arabia.
Though they represent between 50 and 90 percent of the workforce in the Gulf States, most migrant workers are poorly paid, work long hours and enjoy few or no rights, asserts the ICFTU. Domestic staff in particular was found to be exposed to physical abuse and are often deprived of freedom of movement.
The ICFTU represents 157 million workers in 225 affiliated organizations in 148 countries and territories. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
