Guatemala: workers' rights blatantly violated

Guatemala: workers' rights blatantly violated

Brussels, 26 October 2011 - Workers in Guatemala are once again faced with the blatant violation of their rights. The ITUC has joined with its Guatemalan affiliates, the CUSG, CGTG and UNSITRAGUA, in once again denouncing the violation of workers' rights in the municipality of San José El Rodeo, department of San Marcos, and in the municipality of Puerto Barrios, department of Izabal, where wages and holidays dating back to 2008 are owed to over 400 municipal employees.

According to the information received by the ITUC, these are not isolated cases. "The authorities have an obligation to take urgent steps to ensure respect for workers' rights," said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

In San José, the workers have been suffering a series of human and labour rights violations at the hands of the municipal authorities, including low pay, constant unfair dismissals, 14-hour days without overtime pay, and obligatory tasks in the homes of a number of councillors and even in that of the municipal mayor, Julio César Balcarcel Ramírez.

In Izabal, the mayor has left destitute over 2,000 families, women, children and the elderly included, in a blatant violation of their human rights. The mayor is claiming that there is no money to pay the wages. If this were true, however, the funds could be raised by simply bringing an end to the embezzlement, corruption and impunity plaguing the municipality, according to the information received.

The ITUC has written to President Alvaro Colom, calling on him to urgently bring an end to these workers' rights violations and to punish the municipal authorities responsible with the full force of the law.

"We are tired of seeing the constant deterioration in the situation of Guatemala's workers. The authorities have committed, time and again, to take urgent measures, yet nothing has changed! The Guatemalan people deserve a country that respects their fundamental rights," insisted the ITUC General Secretary.

The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 308 affiliated national organisations from 153 countries and territories. Website: http://www.ituc-csi.org and http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI

ENDS

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