International Trade Union Confederation: Belarus among worst countries for workers

Belarus, together with Bangladesh and Cambodia, is among the countries constantly violating labor rights, says a survey published by the International Trade Union Confederation.

The ITUC Global Rights Index ranks 139 countries against 97 internationally recognized indicators to assess where workers’ rights are best protected, in law and in practice.

“Countries such as Denmark and Uruguay led the way through their strong labor laws, but perhaps surprisingly, the likes of Greece, the United States and Hong Kong, lagged behind,” said ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow. “A country’s level of development proved to be a poor indicator of whether it respected basic rights to bargain collectively, strike for decent conditions, or simply join a union at all.”

24 countries including Belarus were rated as countries with “no guarantee of rights” for workers. The list features Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, and Turkey.

Eight more countries showed no guarantee of rights due to breakdown of the rule of law. These include the Central African Republic, Libya, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine.

Belarusian human rights defenders documented the pervasive violations of workers’ rights. Last year, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights called on Belarus to abolish forced labor.