The Chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM), U Maung Maung, has revealed that they have filed complaints with the Myanmar Lawyers’ Council and submitted formal documentation to the National Unity Government’s Justice Department regarding the military council’s illegal use of CTUM’s name, seal, and flag. The military council is attempting to send their representatives to the ASEAN Forum on Migrant Workers in Malaysia, a move that has been officially opposed by the ASEAN Council of Trade Unions.
The military council has issued warrants for 27 central committee members of CTUM and confiscated their passports, preventing CTUM members from attending the ASEAN Forum. It has been learned that the military council is attempting to gain international legitimacy by illegally using former CTUM members and the organization’s name, seal, and flag. Among those the military council plans to send as labor representatives are individuals who officially resigned from CTUM on February 9 and members of defunct unions that ceased operations before the military takeover.
CTUM Chairman U Maung Maung disclosed that both the International Trade Union Confederation and ASEAN trade union confederations have rejected the military council’s actions. Officials from the International Labour Organization have also denounced these activities. He urged resistance against the military council’s attempts to mislead both the labor force and the international community through coercion and intimidation, emphasizing that their use of weapons and force to compel compliance is unacceptable. He encouraged people to either avoid participation in military council initiatives or actively oppose them, stating that systemic change can only come through complete rejection of the armed forces’ authority.
