Worst countries to work

The report which was created to monitor how different governments uphold the rights of workers as outlined in international law noted that workers’ rights to collectively negotiate increases in salaries and organise strike actions against the government and erring employers have been subdued.

The report revealed the 10 worst countries for workers in 2023 out of 149 countries as Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Guatemala, Myanmar, Tunisia, the Philippines and Turkey.

1. Bangladesh

The Bangladesh government has reportedly used force to halt all forms of protests and the establishment of unions by imposing a draconian registration process.

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wazed, in 2022, claimed the protesting workers were trying to topple the government. She followed up by ordering the security agencies to find those who she claimed were “instigating the workers’ leaders” against the government.

2. Belarus

After a rigged presidential election in August 2020, the country introduced legislation in 2021 to penalise unauthorised demonstrations with terms of imprisonment of up to three years. This act silenced dissenting voices in the democratic space and as a result, the collective voice of workers has been shut by the government.

3. Ecuador

During a major protest in May 2022, the brutal repressive force of the country's police led to the death of five people. The police had lethally used deterrence weapons and arrested about 132 protesters who were charged with crimes such as sabotage, terrorism or resistance.

4. Egypt

Since 2018, workers in Egypt have been deprived of their basic rights and freedoms since many independent trade unions lost their registrations after the arbitrary dissolution of congresses.

The country’s House of Representatives, however, received amendments to the Labour Law in 2022 but without the input or consultations of the independent trade union organisations.

5. Eswatini

The country in October 2021 banned trade union gatherings and protest actions despite the government receiving a court order against this.

Over 80 people were reported to have died due to police crackdown on workers' protests that demanded democracy and wage increases. The crackdown also affected two members of parliament who were arrested in 2021 while most trade union leaders have been forced into exile following persistent persecution by security forces.

6. Guatemala

Cases of brutality against workers have been recorded since August 8, 2022, when a popular labour leader and the Secretary of the Workers Union of the Santo Tomas de Castilla National Port Company (SINEPORC), 45-year-old Hugo Eduardo Gamero Gonzalez was shot and killed in Puerto Barrios, Izabal, Guatemala.

These cases of threats, physical attacks and homicides also continued In 2023 as the government turned a blind eye to investigating, preventing and containing anti-union violence.

7. Myanmar

The Myanmar military Junta after taking over power in a coup on February 1, 2021, banned most unions in the country.

A group of dissident voices in Myanmar then formed a peaceful Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) to resist the army’s intrusion into the government. This was brutally challenged by the Junta with mass arrests and killings of civilians. The ban has also been extended to public gatherings and also enabled military court procedures that enable arrest without warrant.

Protesters against the Myanmar military coup outside the US Embassy in Yangon on February 20, 2021. [Image used for illustration/Getty Images] SAI AUNG MAIN/AFP via Getty Images

Over 400 trade unionists and worker activists have been arrested for taking part in CDM protests, and 101 trade union and worker activists have been killed by the Junta.

8. The Philippines

Labour union members in the Philippines have remained vulnerable to violent attacks, abductions and arbitrary arrests from the government. On January 10, 2023, some strong labour leaders including Dyan Gumanao, and Armand Dayoha were abducted at a port in Cebu, the Philippines, and were detained by state security forces in a resort before they were rescued on 16 January 2023.

Also, Kara Taggaoa, the spokesperson of the League of Filipino Students and Larry Balbuena faced criminal charges of “direct assault and robbery” of a police officer after they were arrested on October 10, 2022, during a rally.

9. Tunisia

Democracy in Tunisia has been seriously threatened with union members put into jeopardy since President Kais Saied further tightened his grip on power by dissolving the Parliament in July 2021. He also further adopted a new constitution in July 2022 without consultation with political parties or social partners.

This decision led to a fallout with the Unions in the country, as well as the entire international workers’ community, who strongly denounced this power grab. The fallout led to the arrest of the general secretary of the employees’ union of the Tunisian highway company, Tunisie Autoroutes, Anis Kaabi, On January 31, 2023. Also, Esther Lynch, General Secretary, ETUC, was forced out of the country In February 2023, for addressing a protest to address President Kais Saied's failed policies

10. Turkey

The Turkish police have repeatedly cracked down on workers' freedoms and rights while trade union leaders have been arbitrarily arrested. Employers in the country have also been accused of engaging in systematic union busting by retrenching workers who tried to form unions,

Top union leaders like Şebnem Korur-Fincancı, President of the Turkish Medical Association, and Deputy General Secretary of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DISK), Fahrettin Engin Erdoğan have been imprisoned for various offences for voicing out their displeasures against the government.