Belarusian Workers Got Another Good Reason to Go On Strike

Belarus entered the top 10 countries with the worst rights for workers for the first time.

The top ten countries with the worst conditions for workers in 2021 include Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Myanmar, the Philippines, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.

This is stated in the Global Index of Rights of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) for 2021. According to the annual ITUC Global Rights Index, the abuse of the right to strike, the right to form and join trade unions, the right to trade union activity and civil liberties, as well as the right to freedom of speech and assembly reached an eight-year high, reports thinktanks.by.

As noted in the index, among the main problems faced by workers in Belarus are the prevention of strikes and meetings, arbitrary arrests, obstacles to the registration of trade unions.

“Jobs are becoming less secure as a result of increased restrictions on trade union activity in Belarus, Colombia, Cambodia, and Myanmar,” the report says.

The authors of the index state that “2021 is the year when democracy came under attack, as the number of countries that prevented trade union registration increased from 89 in 2020 to 109 and the number of countries where freedom of speech and assembly was denied or restricted increased from 56 in 2020 to 64 this year."

The eighth edition of the ITUC Global Index of Workers 'Rights ranks 149 countries in terms of respect for workers' rights. The main findings of the index are disappointing and show that serious problems are popping up around the world:

87 percent of countries violated the right to strike.

79 percent of countries violated the right to collective bargaining.

74 percent of countries have denied workers the right to form and join trade unions.

The number of countries that discouraged union registration increased from 89 in 2020 to 109 in 2021.

Two new countries are among the ten worst for workers (Belarus and Myanmar).

The number of countries that denied or restricted free speech increased from 56 in 2020 to 64 in 2021.

Workers have experienced violence in 45 countries.

Workers have no or limited access to justice in 65 percent of countries.

Workers have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in 68 countries.

Trade unionists were killed in six countries: Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Myanmar, Nigeria, and the Philippines.