Organizing for social justice

This is the first report of the second cycle of Global Reports under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. It continues the assessment of current trends begun in Your voice at work. Despite a general positive trend, linked to the spread of democracy, high rates of ratification of the fundamental international labor standards, and increased transparency in global markets, serious problems remain. Violations of freedom of association rights of both employers and workers persist in different forms, including murder, violence, detention and refusal to allow organizations the legal right to exist and function. People continue to lose their lives and their freedom for attempting to organize and defend collectively their fundamental rights. The examples of action given in this report illustrate a wide variety of ways in which the ILO and its constituents tackle different aspects of freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.--Introduction.