On March 10 in Yangon, members of the Building and Wood Workers Federation of Myanmar (BWFM) launched a photo campaign demanding immediate action from the International Labour Organization (ILO) under Article 33 against the military council. This campaign aims to draw international attention to the military regime’s violations of workers’ rights. The union members documented and presented photographic evidence of the military council’s various labor rights violations, unlawful detentions, forced labor practices, and other human rights abuses.
The campaign specifically highlights the systematic oppression of labor union activities since the military coup, including the detention of union leaders and widespread violations of workers’ rights. BWFM members emphasized the urgent need for effective ILO intervention through Article 33 to address these ongoing violations. The photo campaign serves as a powerful visual testimony to the deteriorating situation of workers’ rights under military rule and calls for concrete international action to protect Myanmar’s workers.
The military council has been systematically suppressing union activities, arresting union leaders, and violating workers’ rights since seizing power. This has created an environment where basic labor rights and protections have been severely compromised. The BWFM’s campaign represents a crucial effort to document these violations and seek international intervention through established mechanisms like the ILO’s Article 33, which provides for action against member states that fail to comply with ILO conventions and workers’ rights standards.
