Textile workers in Bangladesh demanding payment of their wages are being attacked with batons, firearms, tear gas, and stun grenades. In Belarus, all union-organized gatherings, picket lines, and demonstrations are banned by the government. Anyone who takes to the streets there to demand democracy and freedom runs a high risk of ending up in prison. In Brazil, two leading union representatives were murdered last year. Several union representatives received death threats for organizing strikes.
Annual Report Shows Increase in Repression
Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil—these three countries are just the tip of the iceberg. In its annual report on the state of human rights worldwide, the International Trade Union Confederation has documented numerous violations of human and labor rights. The findings show that the number of countries where the registration of unions has been obstructed continues to rise. The situation is worst for workers in Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Myanmar, the Philippines, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.
The COVID-19 pandemic has destroyed jobs, communities, and lives. Governments and employers have exploited the pandemic to fire workers who disclosed critical information about the spread of the virus in the workplace. They have violated the right to collective bargaining, intensified surveillance of workers, undermined the right to privacy, and restricted freedom of speech and assembly.
