MANILA: The Philippines is among the “worst countries in the world to work in” where employees’ rights have no guarantee, according to a recent Global Rights Index survey.
The study, conducted by Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation, rated 82 countries from a scale of 1 to 5 or from good to worst in terms of workers’ enjoyment of collective labour rights.
The Philippines received a rating of 5, as did its East Asian neighbours Malaysia, Laos and South Korea. Indonesia and Thailand, meanwhile, fared better with a rating of 4.
The Global Rights Index said the Philippines has the legislation spelling out certain rights, but workers effectively have no access to these rights. “Therefore, they are exposed to autocratic engines and unfair labour practices.” Ratings were assigned to the countries surveyed as a way to translate qualitative data on workers checked against the most recent Philippine labour legislation and international labour standards.
The group noted that the Philippines, recent violations of workers’ rights were anti-union discrimination, murders of trade unionists, imprisonment of union leaders, flagrant anti-union tactics and some companies’ refusal to implement a collective bargaining agreement.
The Philippine Star
