The list of worst countries for workers has dropped, and the results might be surprising.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) this week released its 2024 Global Rights Index, which documents violations of internationally recognized collective labor rights by worldwide governments and employers.
Through a questionnaire sent to 340 labor unions in 169 countries, the group determined that nearly nine out of 10 countries across the globe actively impeded workers’ rights to strike, while eight in 10 denied them the right to collective bargaining for better wages and working conditions.
What’s more, illegal action against unionized workers is on the rise. According to ITUC, 49 percent of countries saw union members arbitrarily detained or arrested in 2024—a three-point jump from last year. More than 40 percent of countries assessed denied workers the right to freedom of speech and assembly. Since the inception of the index a decade ago, ITUC said the treatment of workers has only worsened over time.
The countries fingered as the worst for workers in 2024 include Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Guatemala, Myanmar, the Philippines, Tunisia and Turkey. But many others also saw weakened performance, including Costa Rica, Finland, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Switzerland. and Venezuela.
The group’s 11th annual report showed that regionally, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) remain the worst for workers globally, showing a sustained deterioration in workers’ rights.
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Using a five point rating system—1 denoting “sporadic violations” of workers’ rights, and 5 indicating “the worst countries in the world to work in”—ITUC gave the MENA region a 4.74 ranking in 2024, a marked decline from the 4.53 rating it received in 2023 and much worse than the 4.25 ranking from 2014.
“Every single country in this region has excluded workers from the right to establish or join a trade union, violated the right to collective bargaining, and impeded the registration of unions,” the study said. Nearly all (95 percent) of the countries assessed have violated workers’ rights to strike, including Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which saw massive conflict and breakdowns in the rule of law, along with Libya, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.
ITUC said that governments in Algeria and Egypt implemented stringent registration procedures in an attempt to undercut the trade union movement. The group estimated that since 2018, the number of independent trade unions has dwindled from 1,500 to 150. Meanwhile, Libya saw authorities create a union monopoly under a national confederation run by the country’s government.
The Asia-Pacific region maintained its ranking as the second-worst zone for workers with a rating of 4.13. Nearly 90 percent of Asian-Pacific countries were found to have violated workers’ rights to join, establish or register unions as well as the right to strike.
For example, Myanmar saw the state military abduct a union leader and hold him for five months before sentencing him on charges of terrorism without legal representation. Such incidences happened in 74 of the countries assessed, a jump from the 69 recorded last year. Meanwhile, nine union leaders were prosecuted for peacefully protesting against union busting at a casino in Cambodia.
Notably, workers’ rights in Africa remained mostly the same year over year from 2023 with an average country rating of 3.88—though the figure is significantly worse than the 3.26 ranking seen 10 years ago. The Americas, too, held steady in its 3.56 rating, but ITUC noted that the region is the “deadliest for workers and unionists,” with 16 assassinations recorded throughout 2023 and 2024. Mexico’s rating dropped from 3 to 4 year over year, with ITUC citing a rash of unlawful arrests of union members in an attempt to stifle the union movement—a trend also prevalent in Panama and Venezuela.
While Europe is broadly characterized as “the global standard bearer for workers’ rights,” the continent’s average country rating went from 2.56 to 2.73 over the course of one year. And over the past 10 years, European nations have shown the “steepest decline among all regions,” having started at 1.84 in 2014.
ITUC attributed the shift to a movement away from the “worker-centric” social model that has distinguished the region. Finland lost its spot at the top of the index because of its prime minister’s proposed reforms to limit political strikes, undermine wage negotiation and cut certain employee benefits. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s rating fell precipitously, from 2 to 3, when attempts by union leaders to secure better worker protections failed.
Not surprisingly, Russia received a rating of 5 because of expanding restrictions of civil rights and worker rights, especially related to political dissent.
“This year’s report makes for difficult reading—a clear and urgent wake-up call that the future of democracy and fundamental rights agreed by most countries at an international level are at risk,” ITUC’s general secretary Luc Triangle wrote. “While there have been some signs of positive improvements, even in the worst regions, the general picture displays a relentless attack on civil liberties and the interests of working people.”