BRUSSELS, 20 September 2010: A new ITUC (Internatioal Trade Union Confederation. Red) report on core labour standards in Honduras, published to coincide with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) review of its trade policies, reveals grave violations of labour rights. Indeed, following last year’s coup d’état, virtually all union activity was halted.
Honduras’ law provides for the right to organise and collectively bargain; however, there are many legal restrictions, and in practice it is difficult for workers to exercise these rights, especially in export processing zones. Acts of anti-union discrimination are common and remain unpunished. There have been many attacks against unions, and 12 unionists were killed during protests, and in some cases in their own homes after the coup d’état.
Although the law forbids discrimination on the grounds of gender, women receive less payment for work of equal value, and they are disproportionately concentrated in low-skilled jobs. Child labour is common mainly in farming, mining, in workshops and in domestic service. Trafficking for labour exploitation is not prohibited, and forced labour occurs. There are few inspections to monitor compliance with labour laws, including those on child and forced labour.
