Toggle high contrast

Letter to Foreign Secretary re Honduras

Issue date

Rt Hon. David Miliband MP
Secretary of State
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AH

Dear David

Continuing crisis in Honduras

On behalf of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) I ask you to increase the pressure on the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti to restore democracy and to strongly condemn the series of human rights violations that have taken place since the 28 June coup d'état removed President Manuel Zelaya Rosales from office.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) which represents 170 million workers in 158 countries through its 316 national affiliates unanimously passed a resolution at its most recent General Council meeting in Berlin (attached) calling for the following actions to be taken;

suspension of Honduras's European Union GSP+ trade preferences until the country returns to genuine democratic control;

financial aid and all other financial co-operation with the de facto regime to be halted immediately; and

non-cooperation by the international community with the bogus election called for 29 November, including a refusal to send election observers.

In relation to GSP+ we urge the British government to publicly support and push for a suspension of Honduras' trade preferences granted under this EU scheme.

In the 100 days since the coup, 20 people have been killed, 12 of whom were trade unionists, over 3000 people have been arrested, and the de facto regime has committed countless serious violations of human and trade union rights, including the suppression of the Honduran people's fundamental right to freedom of association and the closing down of media loyal to the legitimate government.

We ask you to call once again on the de facto government there to engage meaningfully in the talks held under the auspices of the OAS. Such talks must immediately result in the legitimate president, Manuel Zelaya, returned to office, with a view to enabling the holding of free and fair elections and bringing an end the coup. The coup is something we hoped had been confined to history in Latin America. If it is not resolved it could set a very dangerous precedent for the future.

Yours sincerely

BRENDAN BARBER

General Secretary

Berlin General Council Meeting

October 2009

ITUC Resolution

line
Honduras

RESOLUTION ON HONDURAS

The 5th ITUC General Council meeting in Berlin, 6 - 8 October 2009:

CONDEMNS the military coup in Honduras of 28 June 2009, resulting in the

detention and expulsion of the legitimate President of the country José

Manuel Zelaya Rosales, and the adoption by the authors of the coup of

a series of dictatorial measures, which violate fundamental democratic

rights which are enshrined in the Honduran Constitution and in

international law;

DENOUNCES the killing of innocent Honduran citizens and of 12 trade union

leaders and militants by the illegitimate de facto regime and its

continued use of torture, violence, incarceration, denial of freedom of

speech, assembly and association, violation of international diplomatic

convention at the Brazilian Embassy and the range of other actions

aimed at repressing legitimate dissent and preventing a return to

democracy and the rule of law;

DEMANDS that the regime immediately and unconditionally withdraw from their

illegal occupancy of all positions of political and administrative

authority to ensure the return of President Zelaya to the Presidency of

the country, that they guarantee the security and physical safety of

President Zelaya and all Hondurans and that they suspend without

delay all the repressive measures which they have introduced;

PLEDGES the continued and fullest support of the international trade union

movement to the ITUC´s affiliates CUTH, CTH and CGT, which

condemned the coup immediately it took place, and which continue, at

the front of the alliance of democratic forces from diverse sectors and

social movement, to resist the illegitimate regime and campaign for

the return of democracy;

CALLS UPON The governments in the region and worldwide, and the international

institutions including the United Nations, Organisation of American

States, European Union and others which can bring effective pressure

to bear, to act with determination against the violation of fundamental

democratic rights in Honduras, to ensure that full authority is

returned to the legitimate government of President Zelaya;

CALLS UPON the Honduran employers to respect ILO core labour standards, in

particular Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of

the Right to Organise and Convention 98 on the Right to Organise and

Collective Bargaining;

INSISTS that the intellectual and material authors of the coup are brought to

justice for the crimes they have committed in relation to the launching

of the coup and the events which have followed;

SUPPORTS the Honduran democracy movement in its demand for the convocation

of a constituent assembly to resolve the social, economic and political

problems which the country faces;

RESOLVES - to intensify international trade union actions in solidarity with the

Honduran trade union movement and people, including through the

provision of material assistance;

- promote international action, in coordination with the Global Union

Federations, to increase international support for action to end the

crisis in Honduras;

- to continue to closely monitor events in the country, and maintain

support for the Honduran trade union movement in its quest for a

resolution to the crisis which is founded on democracy, social justice

and the rights of Honduran working people;

- to be ready to send a mission of solidarity with the people and

workers of Honduras that have so bravely fought the military coup

and to witness first hand the human and trade union right

situation in the country when required and appropriate;

CALLS UPON - the European Union to suspend the GSP+ trade preferences to

Honduras as a further means of pressure to obtain an immediate

and total return to democracy in that country;

- the International community not to send financial aid or observers

to the elections of 29 November and not to recognize their outcome;

- to end immediately all financial cooperation with the de facto

government; and

HOPES that the talks that President Manuel Zelaya and the de facto

government have agreed to begin next week under the auspices of the

Organization of American States bring a solution to the crisis. For this

dialogue to bear fruit, all coercive measures taken by Micheletti -the

current state of siege; the decree restricting freedom of movement,

assembly and of the press; and the closing down of two media loyal to

Zelaya, Radio Globo and Channel 36 - must be lifted.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

To access the admin area, you will need to setup two-factor authentication (TFA).

Setup now