Bahrain: Unions Call for Reinstatement of Sacked Workers

Bahrain: Unions Call for Reinstatement of Sacked Workers and End to Anti-Union Attacks

Brussels, 5 July 2011 - In an interview published by the ITUC today, senior Bahraini trade union officials have called for the reinstatement of some 2,000 workers sacked for supporting the country's pro-democracy movement, and an end to violent attacks on trade unions. Ebrahim H Abdulla and Abdulla M Hussain of the national trade union centre GFBTU explain in the interview why the unions are taking part in the "national dialogue" launched by the authorities following the suspension of a state of emergency on July 1.

Despite repeated calls by the International Labour Organisation to reinstate the sacked workers and stop the anti-union repression, none of the workers have yet been given their jobs back, and a concerted Government-orchestrated media campaign against the GFBTU continues to cause serious concerns for the safety of union representatives.

"The Bahraini authorities face yet further international isolation and pressure unless the campaign of state-sponsored intimidation stops. The national dialogue process has to tackle the fundamental problems created when the government reacted so violently against those calling for more democracy and then targeted the trade unions and other legitimate parts of civil society. The entire international trade union movement stands with our Bahraini colleagues, and we will continue to press the authorities to stop repressing workers and hold genuine talks with the trade unions," said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 151 countries and territories and has 305 national affiliates. http://www.ituc-csi.org and http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI

ENDS

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