WORLD TRADE UNION RIGHTS

That this House welcomes the publication of the International Trade Union Confederation's (ITUC) annual survey of trade union rights, which documents a dramatic increase in the number of trade unionists murdered last year; notes that there were 101 killings, an increase of 30 per cent. over the previous year; further notes that this invaluable report records an extensive list of violations suffered by trade unionists struggling to defend workers' interests in 140 countries; and concurs with ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder that the survey shows that the majority of the world's workers still lack effective protection of their rights to organise trade unions and bargain collectively, which is a major factor in the long-term increase in economic inequality within and between countries, and that inadequate incomes for much of the world's workforce helped cause the global economic crisis, and are making it much harder to put the economy on a path of sustainable growth.