Country Rating: 2

  • Repeated violation of rights

  • Countries with a rating 2 have slightly weaker collective labour rights than those with the rating 1. Certain rights have come under the repeated attack by governments and/or companies and have undermined the struggle for better working conditions.

Employers have attempted to undermine democratic unions by threatening union members with dismissal and by supporting yellow unions. On 16 March 2012, Ausra Straume, Latvian Air Traffic Controllers' Trade Union (LGSVDA) leader, has been suspended and dismissed from her duties as an air traffic controller at SJCS Latvijas Gaisa Satiksme (LGS), after she had sent a complaint to the Ministry of Transport regarding poor working conditions and the need for social dialogue on 2 March 2012. She filed a complaint to demand reinstatement. On 14 March 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that Ausra Straume did not have the right to complain about working conditions. The unions have now taken this issue to the President as the right to freedom of association has clearly been overlooked by the court.

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