The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines call, among other things, for multinationals to operate ethically and responsibly regarding human and labour rights, IndustriALL pointed out.
That, it said, was impossible while operating in Myanmar, which has been in turmoil since the military deposed Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in 2021 and launched a crackdown that sparked an armed uprising.
IndustriALL – an umbrella group representing some 50 million workers through more than 600 trade union affiliates – warned in a statement that the textile and garment industry had become an important way for Myanmar’s military rulers to “inject foreign money into a collapsing economy”.
“Meanwhile, Myanmar’s military junta has banned unions and arrested union leaders,” it said, insisting that “there is no freedom of association; unions and other workers’ organisations can’t function”.
