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Port workers bear the brunt of anti-union repression in Djibouti
7 October 2005
Port workers and trade union leaders have been sacked and arbitrarily arrested in Djibouti in the wake of a general strike over working conditions and unfair dismissals on 14-17 September.
The 11 leaders of Djibouti’s Port Workers’ Union (UTP) were arrested after they attempted to enter the harbour area on 24 September, on the day that a meeting to discuss the dispute was scheduled; the port director and his team took the decision to boycott the meeting with the minister of labour and the trade union. The trade unionists, whose entry passes were confiscated, were told that they had been dismissed for “impeding the freedom to work”, a reference to the 14 September strike.
As a result of the dismissals, a second strike was called for 10pm on 24 September. This led to the detention in appalling conditions of almost 165 people, among them six of the 11 UTP leaders. The six have announced that they will be starting a hunger strike.
Reports state that the wave of arrests continues and that the home of the UTP General Secretary, who had been forced into hiding at the start of the events, has been illegally raided.
ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder, following up a letter to the President of Djibouti Ismaël Omar Guelleh on 20 September, denouncing the anti-union repression, expressed his profound concern in a second letter on 27 September. He called on the President to ensure the “immediate release” of the detainees and “to put an end to all forms of harassment and reprisals against trade union leaders and trade unionists”.
He also warned that failing a positive reaction from the President, the ICFTU would lodge a complaint with the International Labour Organization; these were violations of ILO convention 87 on the freedom of association and convention 98 on the right to collective bargaining, both of which were ratified by Djibouti.
ITF Dockers Section Secretary Frank Leys commented: ”The employers have rejected dialogue in favour of dangerous escalation. Human and trade union rights - including those set out in ILO conventions ratified by Djibouti - are not just pieces of paper. These trade unionists must be released, reinstated and allowed to express their concerns.”
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