In accordance with the 7th edition of “International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index 2020-The World’s Worst Countries for Workers”, India became the new entrant in the 10 worst countries for working people in the world, with a rating of 5 that states “No guarantee of rights”. The index ranked 144 countries on the basis of respect for workers’ rights.
- The other countries among the worst ten are- Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, , Kazakhstan, Philippines, Turkey and Zimbabwe along with Egypt & Honduras being the other two new entrants apart from India.
- On the region front, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the worst region with 4.44 rating followed by Asia-Pacific with 4.09 in the world for working people for seven years (2014-2020).
- India’s ranking was based on three factors viz. Mass dismissals, Brutal repression of strikes, and Regressive laws.
Index perspective with respect to India
In 2020, the police in India used disproportionate violence against workers protesting to call for the payment of due wages and better working conditions citing incidents from Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Following are the companies mentioned in index that Violates Workers’ Rights in India
- Pricol in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
- Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), Tamil Nadu
- Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), Telangana
- Motherson Automotive Technologies & Engineering (MATE), Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Index perspective on global front
-85% of countries violated the right to strike and 80% of countries violated the right to collectively bargain.
-The number of countries that denied or constrained freedom of speech increased from 54 in 2019 to 56 in 2020.
-Workers were exposed to violence in 51 countries.
-Workers had no or restricted access to justice in 72% of countries.
-Workers experienced arbitrary arrests and detention in 61 countries.
The number of countries which impeded the registration of unions increased from 86 in 2019 to 89 countries in 2020.
About ITUC Global Rights Index:
It depicts the world’s worst countries for workers by rating countries on a scale from 1 to 5+ with 1 being the best rating and 5+ the worst rating. Violations in each country are recorded annually from April to March against a list of 97 indicators.
About International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC):
General Secretary– Sharan Leslie Burrow
President– Ayuba Philibus Wabba
Headquarter– Brussels, Belgium
- The ITUC affiliates in India are the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of India (CFTUI), the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).
Recent Related News:
On May 13, 2020 According to the World Economic Forum(WEF)’s global Energy Transition Index(ETI) 2020, India has moved up two places from rank 76th(2019) to 74th with a score of 51.5%. Sweden(74.2%) topped for the 3rd consecutive time followed by Switzerland(73.4%) and Finland(72.4%).
