Eighth year streak: Philippines among the worst countries for workers again

The Philippines has once again landed on a list no nation wants to be on: the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC) Top 10 Worst Countries for Workers 29 for the eighth consecutive year.

Other countries included in the list are:

• Bangladesh
• Belarus
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• Eswatini
• Guatemala
• Myanmar
• Tunisia
• Turkey

The ITUC, a Brussels-based organization advocating for workers’ rights, rated the Philippines a dismal score of 5 in its 2024 Global Rights Index. This score translates to “No Guarantee of Rights,” indicating that while Filipino workers may have rights on paper, they face significant obstacles in exercising them.

The report cites red-tagging, violence against labor unionists, and a lack of access to fair labor practices as key factors contributing to the Philippines’ poor ranking. The ITUC specifically mentions the murders of prominent union organizers Alex Dolorosa and Jude Thaddeus Fernandez in 2023.

“The government fostered a climate of fear and persecution, silencing the collective voice of workers. Workers across many sectors still faced significant obstacles when attempting to form trade unions,” the organization said.

Meanwhile, in another report under 2024 ITUC Global Rights Index, these are the best countries for workers with a rating of 1 — indicating only sporadic violations of workers’ rights:

• Austria
• Denmark
• Germany
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Norway
• Sweden