plowunited.net – The 2025 Global Rights Index from the International Trade Union Confederation reveals a severe decline in workers’ rights worldwide. The report highlights a disturbing trend of attacks on labor protections and democratic values, driven by far-right politicians and their billionaire backers. Leaders like Donald Trump in the US and Javier Milei in Argentina exemplify this growing authoritarian playbook. Undermining workers’ rights under the guise of political change. The index shows that these leaders often target workers and trade unions first. Viewing them as major defenders of democracy and social justice. This global assault threatens the very foundation of fair labor practices and collective bargaining across continents.
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Trump Administration’s Role in Undermining US Workers’ Rights
The report specifically calls out the Trump administration for aggressively dismantling collective labor rights in the United States. During Trump’s tenure, union protections were stripped from over 47,000 Transportation Security Administration workers. Efforts to revoke civil service protections for federal employees also escalated, while firing a key National Labor Relations Board member effectively stalled the board’s functions. Additional cuts to federal labor agencies further weakened workers’ bargaining power. The administration’s close ties to anti-union billionaires allowed these figures to shape policies that favored corporate interests over worker protections. Since the report’s March 2025 cutoff, these harmful trends have reportedly continued, deepening challenges for American workers.
Deteriorating Workers’ Rights Across Most Global Regions
Workers’ rights worsened significantly across three out of five global regions, with the Americas and Europe hitting their lowest scores since 2014. Only seven out of 151 countries surveyed earned top-tier ratings for protecting labor rights, down sharply from 18 nations in 2015. The index found that 72% of countries restrict workers’ access to justice, 87% violate the right to strike, and 80% undermine collective bargaining. Countries such as Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Tunisia, and Turkey ranked worst for labor rights. Conversely, Australia, Mexico, and Oman were among the few countries showing improvements in protecting their workforce.
Billionaire Influence and Political Choices Worsen Inequality and Workers’ Conditions
Luc Triangle, ITUC’s secretary general, warns that billionaires fueling these far-right regimes have increased their wealth while eroding democratic institutions. This billionaire “coup” over society concentrates power and wealth, worsening conditions for workers globally. The COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation have reduced purchasing power, creating fertile ground for extremist parties. These groups, however, offer little real solution to working people’s problems. Triangle calls for reversing this trend through political choices that prioritize fair wages, social protections, and job creation. The federation argues that resources wasted on arms and unfair tax systems could instead fund meaningful support for workers.
ITUC Campaigns for Democracy and Workers’ Rights in Opposition to Authoritarian Trends
The ITUC advocates for a democratic framework that delivers tangible benefits to workers, standing against the model promoted by figures like Trump and Musk. The federation stresses that global inequality continues to rise, with the five richest people doubling their wealth in the last five years while 60% of the world’s population grows poorer. The ITUC calls for urgent reforms in taxation, social protections, and labor laws to rebuild workers’ rights and strengthen democratic governance. The campaign aims to mobilize global support for policies that protect workers and promote social justice as core democratic values in the face of rising authoritarianism.
