Palace saddened that Philippines tagged as one of 10 'worst countries' for workers

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang was saddened by the Philippines' inclusion in an international trade union group's list of ten worst countries for workers, saying the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the plight of the labor sector.

The 2021 Global Rights Index of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) claimed that governments and employers have exploited the pandemic to dismiss workers who exposed vital information about the spread of the virus in workplaces; violated collective bargaining rights; increased surveillance of workers, undermined the right to privacy; and restricted free speech and assembly.

According to the report, the ten worst countries for working people in 2021 are Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Myanmar, Turkey, Zimbabwe and the Philippines. It also cited the murder of trade unionists in the Philippines, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Myanmar and Nigeria.

"Well, we are saddened by that (report) but I am sure the state of workers was affected by the pandemic because we are heading towards the second year of the pandemic," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said at a press briefing Tuesday.

"We believe that as the number of vaccinated people increases and as we reopen our economy, the condition of the workers in the country will improve," he added.

The government is gradually reopening the economy as it strives to strike a balance between restoring the livelihood of workers sidelined by lockdowns and containing the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 25,000 people in the Philippines.

The latest ITUC Global Rights Index ranked 149 countries on the degree of respect for workers’ rights. It concluded that 2021 is a year when democracy "has come under renewed attack" as the number of countries that impeded the registration of unions rose from 89 last year to 109 and the number of countries where freedom of speech and assembly was "denied" or "constrained" increased from 56 in 2020 to 64 this year.

According to the report, 87% of countries violated the right to strike, 79% of them violated the right to collectively bargain, and 74% of countries excluded workers from the right to establish and join a trade union. Workers were exposed to violence in 45 countries, had no or restricted access to justice in 65% of countries, and experienced arbitrary arrests and detention in 68 countries.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated jobs, communities and lives. The Global Rights Index exposes a shameful roll call of governments and companies that have pursued an anti-union agenda in the face of workers who have stood on the front line providing essential work to keep economies and communities functioning," ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow said in a statement.

“When COVID-19 hit, we learned who the heroes are. Workers everywhere cared for the sick, put food on our tables, and kept the economy moving. But despite all that, workers are under attack like never before," she added.