Global Union Urges Sanctions on Myanmar Regime Over Labor Abuses

ndustriALL, a global union of workers from 550 affiliated unions in 130 countries, on Tuesday urged the International Labor Organization (ILO) and its constituents to impose sanctions on, cut diplomatic ties with and end preferential trade agreements with the Myanmar regime.

The call followed the International Labor Conference (ILC)’s special sitting on the application of standards to address the Myanmar regime’s violation of freedom of association and forced labor as set out in ILO Conventions No. 87 and 29. The ILC is a decision-making body within the ILO that sets international labor standards and broader policies.

Rights groups said the Myanmar regime, since seizing power in a 2021 military takeover, has driven the national economy into catastrophe and caused an unprecedented crisis for Myanmar’s nearly 1 million garment workers across Yangon, Bago and Ayeyarwady regions.

The junta has moved to dismantle labor protections, scrapping tripartite mechanisms between workers, employers and the government, while cracking down on trade unions and jailing or exiling labor activists.

Addressing the ILC, IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie stressed that around 450,000 garment workers in Myanmar earn under US$100 a month—about half the living wage. He said factories operating under martial law expose workers to military checkpoints, harassment, unpaid overtime and the threat of forced conscription.

In 2023, an ILO Commission of Inquiry urged an immediate end to violence and torture targeting union leaders, calling for the unconditional release of detained trade unionists, the dropping of criminal charges and a halt to the military’s use of forced and child labor.

When Naypyitaw failed to take action, the ILO invoked Article 33 of its constitution to hold the regime accountable for its continuing violation of workers’ and human rights in June 2025. It was only the third time in its history that the ILO had taken such action against what it described as the most serious breaches of its fundamental rights. The measure allows the ILO to call on governments, employers and unions to pressure the country to comply.

On Saturday, the ILO held a special meeting on Myanmar in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of the 114th Session of the ILC. It ended with a resolution to continue reviewing Myanmar’s violations of labor rights.

Despite the ILO’s measures and local labor unions’ condemnation, IndustriALL said Myanmar exports more than half of its apparel products to the EU under preferential trade schemes, while the UK and Japan account for much of the remaining market. The EU has also continued funding and supporting the manufacturing sector. The group called for an end to preferential trade agreements with Myanmar.

However, some suggested that calling for Western companies to stop working with the Myanmar regime would only create more challenges for garment factory workers.

Daw Myo Myo Aye, a labor rights activist and founder of the Solidarity Trade Union of Myanmar, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, “To be pragmatic, cutting ties with major Western brands would leave the garment factory workers jobless, and would also push the industry under the control of Chinese companies, where they would have no right to complain.”

While acknowledging that the topic remains a source of debate, she cautioned that the interests of factory workers should not be seen as less important or set aside in the broader national struggle for freedom.

The Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association reported in August 2025 that 56 of its 589 member factories had suspended operations.

Myanmar has been a member of the ILO since 1948 and ratified the conventions on forced labour and freedom of association in 1955.