Index/ Workers' rights in decline, Albania among countries that restrict the right to strike

2025-06-05 08:24:00, Sociale CNA

Index/ Workers' rights in decline, Albania among countries that restrict

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) found a “profound deterioration” in workers’ rights in its annual rights index, based on 97 indicators defined by the United Nations and international treaties.

Workers' rights, which the report measures in 151 countries, fell sharply especially in Europe and the Americas - with the worst results for these two regions since the index began in 2014.

Albania is ranked among the countries that restrict the right to strike, being rated 3 by the ITUC. This classification refers to countries where workers' rights are consistently violated, although a legal framework may exist that recognizes them.

“In 2025, a series of disturbing developments in Europe and beyond demonstrate an increasingly hostile climate towards unions and labor movements.

In Belgium, Finland and France, authorities have continued to crack down on strikers, using punitive measures and bans to curb protests.

Meanwhile, governments in Albania, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro and the United Kingdom have been criticized for abusing the law, excessively expanding the definition of “essential services” – a legal maneuver that significantly limits the right to strike.

In Greece, Hungary, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey, companies have intervened directly to hinder union activity, undermining worker protections and undermining collective organizing.

Another worrying phenomenon is the emergence of so-called “yellow unions” – employer-controlled structures – which have been observed in Armenia, Greece, the Netherlands, Moldova and North Macedonia. These pseudo-unions are used to replace genuine worker representation and weaken their voice in decision-making,” the report says.

In total, 87 percent of countries violated the right to strike and 80 percent violated the right to collective bargaining, the ITUC said.

“The right to collective bargaining was restricted in 80 percent of countries (121),” the report noted.

In France, for example, “almost four out of ten collective agreements were imposed unilaterally by employers, without union representation.”

The report also highlighted the “persecution” of union leaders.

“In France, more than 1,000 leaders and members of the Confédération générale du travail (CGT) union are facing criminal charges and disciplinary measures for their role in mass protests against pension reforms,” the report said.

Europe experiences the sharpest decline

The ITUC gives each country a rating from one (maximum) to five (minimum), based on respect for workers' rights, such as the right to strike, protest and participate in negotiations.

Only seven countries – including Germany, Sweden and Norway – received the maximum rating, compared to 18 countries a decade ago. Italy and Argentina saw their ratings fall in 2025.

"If this decline continues at this rate, in ten years there will be no country in the world left with the highest rating for respecting workers' rights," ITUC leader Luc Triangle said in a statement.

In 2025, Europe experienced the most pronounced decline of all regions of the world in the last ten years.

The ITUC also announced that trade unionists or workers were killed in five countries during 2025: South Africa, Cameroon, Colombia, Guatemala and Peru.

Meanwhile, Nigeria was ranked for the first time in the list of the ten worst countries for workers' rights.

Only a small number of countries saw improvements in this regard.

Reforms strengthened union rights in Australia, while in Mexico, changes to labor legislation improved access to justice for workers./ Monitor Magazine