THE 2025 ITUC Global Rights Index reveals a sustained, global assault on democracy and workers’ rights — an assault driven by authoritarian regimes and emboldened far-right forces, funded and fuelled by billionaire elites.

This is not just a labour issue — it is a political crisis. When governments silence unions, they silence workers. And when workers are silenced, democracy is suppressed.

This year’s Index shows that the global decline in respect for workers’ rights is not only continuing — it is accelerating. In 2014, 18 countries received the highest rating for rights protections. Today, only seven countries meet that standard. If this trend continues, there will soon be no country that can claim to fully protect workers’ rights.

Meanwhile, 51 countries — one in three — now rank in the worst categories (5 or 5+). That’s a 60 per cent increase since 2014.

The figures are stark: 87 per cent of countries violated the right to strike. 80 per cent restricted collective bargaining. Workers were imprisoned in 71 countries. These are not just numbers — behind them are courageous unionists facing intimidation, arrest and even death for demanding rights protected under international law, including core ILO Conventions.

We must acknowledge their courage. Their struggle is our struggle. Their voices echo in every demand for dignity and justice at work.

What lies at the heart of this global deterioration is a deliberate attack on democratic freedoms. Across continents, authoritarian and far-right governments are dismantling protections for civil society, often beginning with unions. From Argentina to Finland, Hong Kong to Nigeria, Morocco to Italy, governments are cracking down on freedom of speech, protest and association — to silence working people.

A particularly alarming development is the spread of “foreign agent” laws. Cloaked in the language of national security, these laws target unions and civil society groups, restrict funding, and criminalise international solidarity. In Hong Kong, unionists face up to 20 years in prison for sharing information with global partners. Similar trends are now emerging in India, Kazakhstan, Uganda and Kenya.

Yet in the face of repression, working people continue to organise and win. In Indonesia, unions overturned parts of a repressive Omnibus law. In Cote d’Ivoire, DHL workers won union recognition. In Ghana, a mining licence was revoked thanks to union pressure. These are victories of collective action. They show what is possible when workers are empowered.

But they should not be acts of resistance — they should be the norm. In a world that respects rights, trade unions of working people belong at the table. Trade unions are the largest democratic force in the world. Strong unions mean greater equality, safer workplaces, healthier democracies, and better lives for all.

That’s why the ITUC’s For Democracy campaign is mobilising workers globally to resist repression and demand a new social contract: one that guarantees decent work, fair wages, social protection and fundamental rights.

The injustices we see in the world are political choices, and we can change them.

Luc Triangle is general secretary of the ITUC.