Workers’ rights under growing pressure worldwide, says ITUC report

BRUSSELS: Labour protections are weakening across the world, with the International Trade Union Confederation saying even countries long seen as stable democracies, including France and the United States, are now showing a decline in workers’ rights.

In its 2026 annual rights index released on Monday, the ITUC said 72% of the 151 countries it assessed denied workers access to justice. Authorities in about half of those countries arrested or detained workers during the past year.

Presenting the report, ITUC general secretary Luc Triangle said the deterioration was no longer limited to countries on the periphery. "The crisis for workers’ rights is no longer confined to the margins — it is now at the heart of democracies"

Strike and bargaining rights curtailed

The index found that the right to strike was violated in 87% of countries, matching the level recorded in the previous two years. Collective bargaining rights were restricted in 80% of the countries surveyed.

The United States was placed on the ITUC watch list and assigned a rating of four, which the confederation described as indicating systemic violations of rights. France’s rating worsened to three from two, despite the country’s historically strong union presence.

The ITUC also said Europe and the Americas posted their weakest average scores since the index was first launched in 2014. Employers and authorities are increasingly using digital surveillance to track and intimidate workers.

Countries added to worst performers list

Argentina and Panama were added to the confederation’s list of the 10 worst countries for workers’ rights. They joined Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, Tunisia and Turkiye on that ranking.

The report criticised what it called a billionaire coup, backed by far-right and authoritarian leaders, aimed at rolling back labour protections to maximise profits. Fewer governments were consulting labour organisations before introducing new labour legislation.

Triangle said governments were not safeguarding working people and in some cases were weakening their position directly. "Governments are failing to protect working people, and in many cases are actively undermining them" "a coordinated attack on democracy"

The ITUC has produced the annual index since 2014. It ranks 151 countries using dozens of indicators drawn from International Labour Organisation conventions.