Brazil is one of the ten countries that most violate labor rights, says survey

Violations of labor rights reached a record level in the world between April 2021 and March 2022, according to the CSI (International Trade Union Confederation), which mentions Colombia and Brazil among the ten worst countries.

Of the 148 countries covered by the ninth edition of the Global Rights Index, in 50 of them workers were subjected to physical violence, up from 45 in the previous year.

Unionists were murdered in 13 countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Italy, India and South Africa, warns the CSI. Arbitrary arrests and detentions of workers were also recorded in 69 countries.

The top ten worst countries for workers in 2022 are Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Eswatini, the Philippines, Guatemala, Myanmar and Turkey, according to the report.

On the American continent, many countries, including Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Honduras, have been the scene of violent attacks against trade unionists and workers.

The worst region in the world for workers is the Middle East and North Africa, which suffer from situations of “systematic violation of rights to unguaranteed rights”. The American continent is the second best of five, behind Europe.

Brazil, worse after labor reform

Colombia remains the deadliest country for workers and unionists, with 13 murders in 2021-2022, the survey says. Six assassination attempts and 99 death threats were recorded. Eight unionists were arbitrarily arrested.

“Most of the crimes remain unsolved, as the government has not investigated the cases. By not providing them with adequate protection, the lives of unionists and their families continue to be permanently threatened”, says the CSI.

As for Brazil, the situation “continued to deteriorate, as employers and authorities regularly violated their basic collective rights.”

Since the adoption of Law 13,467/2017, which introduced the Labor Reform, “the entire collective bargaining system has collapsed in Brazil, with a drastic reduction of 45% in the number of collective agreements concluded”, according to CSI.

“The workforce, especially in the health sector and the meat industry, has had to face the harsh consequences of President (Jair) Bolsonaro’s mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic, with the deterioration of their working conditions and the weakening of measures. of health and safety”, he said.

In the case of Guatemala, which worsened its ranking and entered the club of the ten worst countries for workers, the CSI mentions “endemic anti-union violence, along with impunity for those who commit these violent acts”.

From Coca-Cola to Amazon

“Working women and men are living on the front lines with the repercussions of various aspects of the crisis: historic levels of inequality, the climate emergency, the loss of lives and livelihoods due to the pandemic and the devastating impact of conflict,” the statement said. CSI Secretary General Sharan Burrow.

The report shows “how this instability is exploited by governments and employers who attack workers’ rights”, laments the confederation in a press release.

Among the companies, CSI mentions the giants Nestlé in Brazil, Coca-Cola in Hong Kong and Uruguay, H&M in New Zealand, Amazon in Poland and Hyundai in South Korea.

CSI accuses these companies of violating workers’ rights, being linked to abuses and failing to use their influence to fight them.

The trade union confederation claims to have 308 member organizations in 153 countries and territories on five continents, with a total of 175 million workers, of which 40% are women.

For its part, the OIE (International Organization of Employers), contacted by AFP before the report was published, stresses that “the best way to guarantee a safe working environment is for governments to ratify and enforce the organization’s conventions”.