ILO condemns repression and killings of peaceful demonstrators in Yemen

GENEVA (ILO News) – The Director-General of the International Labour Office, Juan Somavia, expresses his strong regret at the failure of the President of Yemen Ali Abdallah Saleh to engage in any meaningful dialogue with the peaceful demonstrators who have called for social, economic and political reform. "On the contrary, the violence by the security forces has led to unacceptable loss of life. It is now urgent to put an end to repression and the conflict which threatens to turn into civil war," says Mr. Somavia.

The Director-General highlights the position of the employers' organization in Yemen asking the President to respond to the legitimate concerns of the Yemeni youth and demonstrators. The same call has been made by an increasing number of trade unionists. "In this difficult and prolonged situation, the employers and workers of Yemen are assuming their responsibilities to speak out and act for a peaceful transition in their country. They deserve full support," says Director-General Somavia.

The Director-General associates himself with the Secretary-General of the United Nations who has deplored the killing of Yemeni protesters by security forces. The Director-General of the Arab Labour Organization has also recently made proposals to end the violence.

On Monday, Director-General Somavia introduced a discussion in the ILO's Governing Body on the challenges of change in the Arab countries. Regarding Yemen, he said in that speech that "after the confrontations of last Friday, it is necessary to state most emphatically that it is unacceptable that people who ask for proper jobs and fundamental rights are shot at and killed."

The Director-General of the ILO underlines that "the recent experiences in other countries in the region show that ultimately there is no substitute to responding to the demands coming from the peaceful expression of the will of the people".