Help End Impunity for Violence Against Guatemalan Trade Unionists!

Violence targeted at trade unionists in Guatemala has been increasing at an alarming rate.   In 2009, 16 trade unionists were reported murdered in Guatemala, making it the second most deadly country to be a trade unionist according to the International Trade Union Confederation, trailing only Colombia.   Another six trade unionists have reportedly been murdered in the first half of 2010.

The violence against trade unionists has spiked since the implementation of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in July 2006, a year in which no trade unionists were reported murdered in Guatemala.   

On July 30, 2010, the US government announced it would seek consultations with the Guatemalan government to address worker rights violations cited in a CAFTA labor complaint filed by the AFL-CIO and six Guatemalan trade unions in April 2008.   The US government also expressed strong concerns regarding violence against Guatemalan trade unionists.