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afrol News, 5 June - Ethiopia was one of the six countries worldwide slammed at this year's annual session of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva today for repression of trade unions. The promises made to the ILO by the government to change the bad state of affairs had "not been honoured." Ethiopian legislation imposes strict limitations on freedom of association and the right to strike, according to the Ethiopia dossier prepared for ILO's International Labour Conference. "The government controls the country's trade union organisations. The regime still has the Ethiopian Teachers' Association (ETA) firmly in its sights." However, there had been some progress, Lord Brett, chair of the ILO Workers' Group, reports. "The release last month of Taye Woldesmiate a leader of ETA who had been detained since 1996, is proof that moral pressure by the ILO can work, but much depend on us to make it work through campaigns and solidarity action", Brett today told workers delegates. Woldesmiate was released from prison last month "thanks to international trade union campaigns." He had been accused of terrorism. Much however still demanded attention. Ethiopian labour law only authorises the existence of a single trade union in companies employing at least 20 workers. The definition of what constitutes 'essential services' is so broad that it effectively precludes strikes in most sectors. Further, ILO reports, the government has placed the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) under its control. The Ethiopia dossier notes that civil servants and teachers are "deprived of their constitutional to union affiliation." The government was continuing to harass ETA also after the release of Woldesmiate. Two leading members of ETA and one activist have died in prison. In December 2001, two members of ETA's Executive Committee were arrested in Jinka where they were preparing a conference. Another ETA leader, Assefa Maru, was killed by the police. At the time of writing, no independent enquiry into the killing of Assefa Maru had yet been held, despite an ILO request to this effect. ILO further demanded that the government immediately "take steps to bring its legislation and practices into line with the freedom of association," especially where the freedom of association for teachers is concerned; and that "the government immediately stop interfering in the affairs of trade union organisations." Today's ILO session singled out six countries for anti-union repression. These include Belarus, Colombia, Ethiopia, Burma, Sudan and Venezuela. The most serious repression was found in Colombia, where 185 trade unionists had been killed in 2001 only.
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