An appalling total of 144 trade unionists were murdered for defending workers’ rights in 2006, while more than 800 suffered beatings or torture, according to the Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations, published by the International Trade Union Confederation, which boasts 168,000,000 members. The 379-page report details nearly 5,000 arrests and more than 8,000 dismissals of workers due to their trade union activities.