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29 January, 2026Five years after the military seized power in Myanmar, workers continue to face repression, while sham elections, international complaints and unprecedented action at the ILO expose the junta’s failure to deliver rights or democracy.
Since the junta seized power on 1 February 2021, independent unions have been banned, union leaders arrested and fundamental freedoms obliterated. Under military rule, more than 7,000 civilians have been killed, and millions have been displaced and forced to flee from their homes.
At the end of last year, the military launched an election silencing the democratic opposition. The elections have been widely dismissed as a sham designed to legitimize continued military control rather than reflect the will of the people. No credible international observers have been allowed to monitor the vote, and many political parties have been barred or dissolved ahead of polling.
IndustriALL has renewed its call for brands and companies to withdraw from Myanmar, pointing out that enhanced due diligence cannot mitigate the inherent risks of operating under a dictatorship that outlaws independent unions, imprisons workers and systematically violates labour rights.
The textile and garment industry is a major source of foreign exchange for the regime, helping to fund weapons, ammunition and fuel. Workers producing garments and footwear in Myanmar labour in industrial zones under martial law. A 2023 ILO Commission of Inquiry found widespread violations of freedom of association and forced labour Conventions. In July there were new reports of union leaders and labour activists arrested on unknown charges.
In 2024 IndustriALL Global Union filed complaints with the OECD National Contact Points against major garment brands, including Next, New Yorker, LPP and Sioen, for breaching the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct by continuing to source from Myanmar. The complaints are backed by Myanmar unions CTUM and IWFM, now operating in exile. According to the complaints, these companies benefit from widespread violations of workers’ rights under military rule, where freedom of association is impossible and forced labour is reported.
In June 2025 the International Labour Conference took a historic step by invoking Article 33 of the ILO Constitution against Myanmar’s military junta, with the resolution calling for an end to financial flows to the regime. This rare move holds the regime accountable for grave and persistent violations of workers’ and human rights. The decision sends a powerful message underscoring the ongoing breaches of core labour standards, including freedom of association and the use of forced labour.
Says Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary:
“As Myanmar marks another year since the coup, the union movement stands in solidarity with workers who continue to fight for basic rights, democratic freedoms and decent work. The military’s sham elections cannot conceal the reality of repression, forced labour and the systematic denial of workers’ rights. Governments, brands and international institutions must stop doing business as usual and take concrete action to end financial support to the junta.”