Since 2017, the Philippines has consistently placed in the top 10 worst countries for workers in the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index, and this year was no different.
According to ITUC’s rating, Filipino workers have “no guarantee of rights,” especially as union leaders are subject to red-tagging. “The government has long deployed ‘red-tagging’ as a tactic against union leaders and members, falsely accusing them of supporting or participating in the communist insurgency,” the ITUC said. “This duplicitous strategy puts workers and activists at direct risk, while deterring others from joining or forming unions.”
The ITUC also cited the arrests of Kilusang Mayo Uno union leaders Gavino Panganiban and Maritess David, who were detained by police in October 2024 and accused of murder and firearms violations, respectively. Both are also alleged to be associated with the New People’s Army (NPA).
In the list, the Philippines finds itself among other countries like Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Turkey. The organization only listed the countries in alphabetical order and did not provide a numerical ranking.
Workers Rights Watch (WRW), a coalition of unions and labor rights groups, said in a press conference that among the workers’ rights, the right to strike is the most violated, followed by the right to collective bargaining agreement, the right to establish or join a union, and the right to justice.
Labor Secretary Bienvenino Laguesma challenged the rating, telling GMA News, “If indeed the Philippines is a worst country for workers, how come we got elected for the first time as a member of the [International Labor Organization’s] Committee on Freedom of Association last year?” He also said the rating does not consider “sincere efforts of the present administration to resolve long pending issues.”
Meanwhile, WRW’s Julius Cainglet said in the press conference that they must “do a lot in engaging the government and employers” so that the Philippines doesn’t find itself in the list again. According to GMA News, the coalition also flagged the Omnibus Guidelines on the Exercise of Freedom of Association and Civil Liberties for lacking sanctions and penalties for state security forces that violate workers’ rights.
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