MT_News
The Labour Ministry released a declaration in which it strongly objects to ILO that issued the unreal facts on ILO website about 16 trade unions on 3 September.
This declaration came after the International Labour Organization (ILO) issued a ILO Brief under the title of “Riding out the storm: Organizational resilience of trade unions and civil society organizations following the military takeover in Myanmar”, on its website on 24 August.
The Ministry objected to this incorrect facts issued by ILO with nine-point declaration.
The ILO Brief expressed the arrest and harassment of trade union leaders in Myanmar and stated that the Ministry of Labour declared 16 trade unions as illegal labour organizations, there is no more unionizing of workers for lack of legal way to register as trade union.
Myanmar enacted the Labour Organization Law in 2011 according to Convention No 87 of Freedom of Association and it was effective on 9 March 2012. The labour organizations shall register under the provisions of Labour Organization Law if they want to organize trade unions to carry out labour affairs, and the registered labour organizations have the right to unionize workers freely under the provisions of the Labour Organization Law.
Moreover, anyone who launches terrorist acts and activities that cause unrest affecting the rule of law and security of the country will be taken action under the existing laws. The ministry did not declare the 16 trade unions as illegal organizations, but because they were operating labour affairs without registering as trade unions at the Ministry of Labour according to the Labour Organization Law (2011), and so they were declared as the ones that were not registered legally according to the Labour Organization Law.
After 1 February 2021, the employees applied for registration of trade union at the respective township registrars and the Chief Registrar under the Labour Organization Law (2011) as usual. The certificates were granted to 26 basic labour organizations, one township labour organization and two region labour organizations between 1 February 2021 and 30 August 2022. There was the formation of new labour organizations without any restrictions under the existing laws.
The registration certificates were granted to 3,100 organizations – 2,876 basic labour organizations, 160 township labour organizations, 25 region/state labour organizations, nine labour federations, one confederation of trade unions of Myanmar, 27 basic employers’ organizations, one township employers’ organization and one employers’ federation according to the Labour Organization Law(2011 )from 2012 to date.
Therefore, the ministry strongly objects to the unreal facts on the ILO website that 16 trade unions were declared as illegal labour organizations and there is no more unionizing of workers and any organizing activity would be considered illegal by the authorities, as stated in ILO Brief under the title of Riding out the storm: Organizational resilience of trade unions and civil society organizations following the military takeover in Myanmar, according to the declaration of the Ministry of Labour.
