
The 10th edition of the ITUC Global Rights Index has revealed that workers are directly experiencing the consequences of the cost-of-living crisis, both in high-income and low-income countries. Faced with this reality, governments continue to heavily restrict workers’ rights. According to data provided by the ITUC, violations of the right to strike have been observed in 90% of countries, while violations related to the right to collective bargaining have been observed in 80% of countries.
From Myanmar to France, workers are demanding respect for their rights, but their demands are being disregarded and increasingly brutally suppressed by law enforcement authorities. In this grim picture, the Arab region continues to hold the unfortunate position of being the worst region in the world in this index.
The Middle East and North Africa in continued decline:
Shaken by major armed conflicts, including those in Libya, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) remains, in 2023, the worst in the world for workers’ rights, with an average score of 4.53.
While progress has been made in Qatar, the kafala system persists in several Gulf countries. Despite constituting the majority of the region’s workforce, migrant workers continue to face serious human rights violations. In Algeria and Egypt, independent trade unions still encounter difficulties in registering with hostile governments, significantly impeding their ability to function effectively.
Legal and official registration is a crucial element of trade union rights, as it is the first step that any workers’ organization must undergo to operate effectively and adequately represent its members. Unfortunately, from April 2022 to March 2023, authorities arbitrarily hindered or revoked the registration of trade unions and even dissolved certain trade union organizations in 109 out of 149 countries in the Index. This situation raises concerns about freedom of association and workers’ rights to unionize, compromising their ability to defend their interests and improve their working conditions. This issue is particularly prevalent in Egypt, where authorities persist in preventing the formation of independent trade unions. In 2018, the Egyptian government even enacted a law that complicates the formation of independent trade unions and subjects it to the discretion of supervisory authorities, notably the Ministry of Labor. In Egypt, the ITUC Global Rights Index 2023 found that workers’ rights to assemble and demonstrate are heavily restricted by authorities, who do not hesitate to resort to force and violence to suppress any social or labor movement.
In addition to on-the-ground violations and violence, some governments in the Arab region have enacted regressive legislation that has significantly compromised the fundamental rights of workers. In January 2023, the Algerian government proposed amendments to Law 90/14, which pertains to the exercise of trade union rights, and if approved, will have a significant impact on trade union rights in the country. Throughout the process, the authorities did not consult independent trade unions.
Tunisia Joins the Sad Ranking of the Ten Worst Countries in the World for Workers:
In Tunisia, President Kais Saied has made hostile remarks against trade unions, giving the green light to a series of hostilities and systematic attacks against unionists. Over the past year, arrests and violations of collective bargaining rights have been reported, while international trade union organizations have been prevented from showing solidarity with their local allies. The ITUC reports that this situation raises concerns about the protection of democratic and trade union rights in Tunisia.
One of the most notable incidents in the Tunisian trade union scene occurred in January 2023 when the Secretary-General of the Union of Tunisia Highways Agents, Anis Kaâbi, was arrested following the organization of a strike on January 30th and 31st. The protesting agents were demanding the renewal of the contract for the highway connecting Tunis to Msaken, which is set to expire in 2025. They also requested the implementation of wage increases agreed upon in an agreement signed between the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) and the government in September 2022, as well as the delivery of promised uniforms from five years ago.
Law enforcement authorities conducted a search at Mr. Kaâbi’s home without informing his family of his whereabouts. It was only later in the evening that he was able to make a phone call to his family, asking them to send a lawyer to the El Gorjani police station. This arrest followed a complaint filed by Tunisia Highways against Mr. Kaâbi, alleging “financial losses caused by the strike” due to the toll-free opening of lanes during the movement. Mr. Kaâbi’s
arrest came after threatening statements from the President of the Republic, announcing that unionists who threatened to close highways should be held “accountable”.
Following this incident, the UGTT organized a series of demonstrations in several regions of the country. In Sfax, the trade union federation received Esther Lynch, Secretary-General of the European Trade Union Confederation, who came to express her solidarity with Tunisian unionists. However, the Presidency of the Republic ordered the expulsion of Esther Lynch, accusing her of interference based on statements she made during the demonstration.
Two weeks later, the Cooperation Officer for Africa and Asia at the CEC UGT Spain, Marco Perez Molina, was banned from entering Tunisian territory and was deported at Tunis-Carthage Airport. Marco Perez Molina had come to Tunisia in solidarity with the UGTT on behalf of international trade unions affiliated with the ITUC, but he was denied entry “for reasons of internal security,” according to the statements conveyed to him by Tunisian law enforcement authorities.
Commenting on the alarming data revealed by this study, Luc Triangle, Acting General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, stated, “at a time when workers have no choice but to demand better wages in the face of the worst cost of living crisis in decades, nine out of ten countries violate their right to strike. When they need representative structures to convey their demands to employers, eight out of ten countries trample on their right to collective bargaining. When nearly half of the countries studied violate the right to civil liberties, it is the very foundations and pillars of democracy that are targeted. The link between respecting workers’ rights and the strength of democracy cannot be overstated. Undermining one undermines the other. Our democracies are in danger.”
On her part, Hind Ben Ammar, Executive Secretary of the Arab Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), stated that the results of the ITUC Index are not surprising given the violations recorded in the Arab region, which predicted such a ranking. “The entry of Tunisia into the ranking of the ten worst countries in the world for workers is particularly concerning. This country has always been a reference in the region in terms of social dialogue, thanks in particular to the role played by the UGTT in maintaining constructive dialogue with its other social partners. The UGTT has contributed to the greatest milestones in the history of Tunisia and has always been a pioneer in the country’s liberation and the construction of a modern state. It should also be noted that the decline in rights and freedoms is unfortunately global and widespread; since the health crisis, we have been living in an atmosphere of hostility towards trade unions, which have been the target of several demonization campaigns. Trade union solidarity worldwide is crucial today to confront this reality,” added the trade union leader.