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Following a shocking attack on trade unionists by police in the Argentinian province of Tucumán, UNI is backing a complaint filed with the International Labour Organization’s Committee on Freedom of Association by our affiliate, @La_Bancaria. Last December, unionists were holding a peaceful assembly to protest the dismissal of a worker at Banco Patagonia’s Concepción branch. As they left the premises, they were set upon by police wearing face coverings and armed with batons and 12-guage shotguns, and wearing gloves reinforced with knuckle dusters, which are not permitted for crowd control. UNI has condemned the violence against workers and stood alongside La Bancaria and those affected. “When governments fail to prioritize decent work, formal employment and respect for freedom of association, they create space for companies to violate workers’ rights. We cannot allow organizing, holding an assembly or defending a fellow worker to become grounds for persecution or repression. UNI will continue to stand with our affiliates and defend workers’ right to organize freely,” said Marcio Monzane, Regional Secretary of UNI Americas. The repression that followed resulted in unionists being injured, detained and suffering degrading treatment, violating ILO conventions 87, 98, and 135 on the right to organize and the protection of trade union representatives.