Statement welcoming and supporting the report of the Commission of Inquiry – COI of the International Labour Organization – ILO

Statement welcoming and supporting the report of the Commission of Inquiry – COI of the International Labour Organization – ILO after conducting an investigation into the violations committed by the junta and that if the junta does not comply to the recommendations just like in the year 2000 the country will face actions.

Date: October 16, 2023

1. On 2023 September 22, the Commission of Inquiry-COI of the International Labour Organization-ILO released a report containing 204 pages on the violations committed by the junta. The Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar-CTUM welcomes and support the report.

2. The ILO is a member of the United Nations family and has a membership of 187 countries.The ILO members, after receiving many reports on Worker’s Rights violations formed a Commission of Inquiry-COI and after investigating many people on the violations committed by the junta and publish its findings in a report which is very detailed.

3. The junta had written to the ILO that they did not recognize the ILO Commission of

Inquiry-COI at all and did not allow any access into the country. The junta is the only group that refuses to comply with the basic provisions on Workers Rights that the country has signed up to at the ILO, a member organization of the United Nations. Although the Workers Rights violations are presented with personal interviews and facts, the junta blatantly keeps refusing to accept their violations it is indeed a sad thing for our country.

4. In the statement issued by the Director General of the International Labour Organization-ILO regarding the COI report, he asked whether the junta agreed to the report issued by the COI and continue working with the ILO to eliminate the crimes or whether they will go to the International Court of Justice-ICJ. We inform the public and our workers that the junta will have to reply on this question by December 2023.

5. The junta had declared that it does not recognize the Commission of Inquiry-COI at all, and did not allow any access to the country. If in that same approach the junta continues to reject the report of the Commission of Inquiry-COI, it will face prosecution by the ILO in the ICJ to deal with violations of basic Workers Rights violations. Otherwise, the ILO will carry out the same actions as it did in 2000, and due to the continued violations on Workers Rights by the junta the country will have to face it.

6. The Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar-CTUM states that we will continue to work together with the revolutionary forces until the system is changed to a federal democratic system, which is essential for independent trade unions to emerge and be able to work.

Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar – CTUM