Workers’ rights declining faster in Europe than elsewhere, says International Trade Union Confederation

In total, 73% of European states have, for example, “violated the right to strike”, warns the organization which brings together 340 unions around the world.

In a world where “democracy is in danger”, Europe is the region where respect for workers’ rights has deteriorated the most in ten years, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) said on Wednesday June 12. which brings together 340 unions located in 169 countries and territories, and publishes its index of rights in the world.

On a scale from 1 (“sporadic violations of workers’ rights”) to 5 (“no guarantee of rights”), “Europe, despite its reputation as a global standard bearer for workers’ rights, saw its average score increase from 2.56 to 2.73 between 2023 and 2024”, worries the CSI. In 2014, the Old Continent still had an average score of 1.84, she recalls. In total, 73% of European states have “violated the right to strike” And “workers were victims of violence in 9% of countries” of the Old Continent.

“This continued degradation indicates that the European social model… is being actively dismantled by governments and businesses at an accelerating pace, with serious consequences in the region and the risk of triggering a leveling down. low globally for workers’ rights”she continues.

In the rest of the world, the “Middle East and North Africa” region recorded an average score of 4.74 in 2024, compared to 4.25 in 2014. In the Americas, the average score slipped by 3.16 in 2014 to 3.56 ten years later. With 16 assassinations of trade unionists recorded, out of a total of 22 since the publication of the last Index, the Americas remain “the deadliest region” of the planet for workers and their representatives.