Global trade union warns of a “concerted assault” on workers’ rights

Workers’ rights are in decline around the world, according to the 2025 Global Rights Index published by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The index, which reviews 151 countries, records the most widespread violations of labor rights since the index began in 2014. It warns that in numerous countries workers’ rights and democracy are under attack in tandem with the erosion of union freedoms.

According to the report, 87% of countries violated the right to strike and 80% violated the right to collective bargaining, with the latter figure going up one percent compared to the previous year. Access to justice for workers was restricted in 72% of countries, a sharp increase from last year’s 65%. 

Only seven countries received the top score in the index’s rating system, down from 18 a decade ago. Meanwhile, ten countries were ranked among the worst places for working people: Bangladesh, Belarus, Egypt, Ecuador, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Tunisia, and Turkey. In these nations, unionists face violence, criminal charges, or state-led persecution for carrying out legitimate activities.

We see the same playbook in action around the world

Referring to a “coup on democracy”, the world’s largest platform of national trade unions says that there is “a concerted, sustained assault by state authorities and the corporate underminers of democracy on the rights and welfare of workers. Increasingly, this attack is orchestrated by far-right demagogues backed by billionaires who are determined to reshape the world in their own interests at the expense of ordinary working people.”

ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle according to The Guardian emphasized the political context of the findings. “This report is a wake-up call that democracy is under attack,” he said. “We see the same playbook of unfairness and authoritarianism in action around the world.”

He also underscored the growing concentration of wealth and its impact on workers: “The five richest people in the world more than doubled their wealth over the last five years, while 60% of the global workforce saw their real-term wages fall.” The ITUC connects this inequality to deliberate political decisions that have stripped away worker protections and empowered corporate interests.

Violations not limited to authoritarian states

The report finds that violations are no longer limited to authoritarian states. According to the ITUC, democratic governments are increasingly undermining labor protections through legal reforms, administrative restrictions, or budgetary cuts targeting unions. This trend is part of what the organization calls “a dangerous concentration of power,” where economic elites and political leaders jointly weaken labor standards.

Despite the overall decline, the report notes improvements in Australia, Mexico, and Oman, suggesting that progress is possible when governments adopt policies that strengthen worker protections. The ITUC calls for political action to support fair wages, secure employment, and universal social protections. These, the organization argues, are essential to restoring labor rights and reinforcing democratic institutions.

Speaking at a recent dialogue hosted by Democracy Without Borders, John Vlasto – an associate of the organization and Chair of the Board of the World Federalist Movement – highlighted a core imbalance at the heart of global economic injustice. While the economy has become globalized, he noted, politics has not kept pace. The absence of effective global mechanisms to regulate markets and enforce fairness, he argued, leaves economic power unchecked on a worldwide scale.