At the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) held in Geneva on June 5, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted a resolution addressing the dire human rights situation in Myanmar, particularly following the military coup on February 1, 2021.
The resolution emphasizes the need for ILO member states, businesses, and labor organizations to critically assess their dealings that might inadvertently support Myanmar’s military government. This includes reviewing investments, supply chains, collaborations, arms supplies, jet fuel provisions, and financial transactions involving the junta.
The ILO urges an immediate release of individuals imprisoned for engaging in trade union activities and calls for an end to hostilities against civil society. Reports since the junta’s takeover indicate severe human rights abuses, including imprisonment and forced concealment of union members, activists, and civil society figures. According to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the military regime has incarcerated 69 trade unionists since the coup.
ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle stated: “We demand real political, economic, and diplomatic pressure on the junta to restore rights, release all detained unionists, and end forced labor and terror. The workers of Myanmar have shown extraordinary courage; we stand in full solidarity with the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM). Now the global community must match words with action to defend freedom, democracy, and dignity for Myanmar’s working people.”
Earlier this year, the global trade union IndustriALL reported alarming conditions for garment workers in Myanmar, including instances of forced labor amid the ongoing crisis. The federation supports the implementation of Article 33 of the ILO.
The junta has ignored directives from the ILO’s 2023 Commission of Inquiry, which called for an immediate stop to violence against union leaders, the unconditional release of detained trade unionists, the withdrawal of criminal charges, and an end to forced and underage labor practices.
Atle Høie, General Secretary of IndustriALL, remarked: “The adoption of Article 33 sends a powerful message to Myanmar’s military junta: the world will not stay silent in the face of systematic and persistent violations of workers’ and human rights. This resolution must lead to real consequences. We call on all governments and employers to sever ties with the junta, support Myanmar’s legitimate democratic forces, and stand with workers risking everything to organize for a better future.”
This resolution marks only the third instance in which the ILO has utilized Article 33, its most severe enforcement mechanism, previously invoked in 2000 against Myanmar for forced labor issues during a prior military regime, and again in 2023 against Belarus for suppressing independent trade unions.
