9 June, 2025Last week in Geneva, the International Labour Conference (ILC) took a historic step, invoking Article 33 of the ILO Constitution against Myanmar’s military junta. This rare move holds the regime accountable for grave and persistent violations of workers’ and human rights.
It is only the third time in history the ILO has used its most powerful enforcement tool, reserved for the most serious breaches of fundamental rights, underscoring the gravity of the situation in Myanmar.
Since violently seizing power on 1 February 2021, the junta has launched a brutal crackdown on trade unionists, activists, and civil society. Workers have been imprisoned, forced into hiding, and stripped of their most basic freedoms.
The regime has consistently failed to implement the recommendations of the ILO’s 2023 Commission of Inquiry. The Commission called for the immediate end to violence and torture against union leaders, the unconditional release of all detained trade unionists, the withdrawal of criminal charges, and an end to the use of forced and child labour by the military.
The adoption of the resolution on 5 June is an important step towards justice for the people of Myanmar, but the struggle is far from over.
“The adoption of Article 33 is sending a powerful message to Myanmar’s military junta: the world will not stay silent in the face of systematic and persistent violations of workers’ and human rights.
“Now, this resolution must lead to real consequences. We call on all governments and employers to cut ties with the junta, support Myanmar’s legitimate democratic forces and stand with workers risking everything to organize for a better future,”
says Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary.
“We have been fighting hard for the adoption of Article 33, risking our lives speaking out against the oppression. The resolution is a signal that the world hears our voices and stands with us. But now we need more than words ; we need real action to cut off the junta’s power and support the workers,”
says Khaing Zar, president of IndustriALL affiliate IWFM.
Article 33 has previously been invoked against Myanmar in 2000, during the last military regime, over forced labour, and again in 2023 against Belarus for the repression of independent trade unions.
Photo credit: CTUM
