Trade unions across South Asia have vowed to strengthen regional solidarity and coordinate joint advocacy to defend workers’ rights amid sweeping labour law reforms across the region. The commitment was made during a two-day regional workshop on “Labour Law Reforms in South Asia: Comparative Reflections and the Way Forward,” held in Colombo on 4–5 November 2025. The event was organised by the ITUC-Asia Pacific, the South Asian Regional Trade Union Council (SARTUC), the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV Mondiaal), and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Trade union leaders, labour law experts, and researchers from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Maldives examined the implications of ongoing and proposed labour law reforms on workers’ rights, trade union freedoms, and social dialogue. Participants voiced concern that some reforms risk undermining collective bargaining and weakening labour protections at a time when precarious and informal work continues to grow.
A comparative research study commissioned by ITUC-Asia Pacific and supported by FNV Mondiaal was presented by lead researcher, Prof. Randhir Kumar of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. The study, developed with national researchers from six South Asian countries, examined reform trajectories, assumptions, and implications across six countries, covering freedom of association and collective bargaining, industrial relations and social protection, occupational safety and health, and wages and gender equality.
The team of national researchers include Mr. Aurongajeb Akond (Bangladesh), Prof. Muhammad Azeem (Pakistan), Mr. Nilambar Badal (Nepal), Ms. Raayaa Eyshath (Maldives), and Mr. K. Marimuttu (Sri Lanka).
The workshop also featured an orientation led by Dr. Elena Gerasimova, Labour Law and Standards Specialist at the ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia, who explained the ILO’s supervisory and complaint mechanisms. The session guided participants on how to use international labour standards to reinforce national advocacy efforts and defend trade union rights.
Participants concluded the workshop by adopting a regional advocacy roadmap anchored in ITUC’s New Social Contract demands for decent jobs, rights and living wages, social protection, and equality.
Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary of ITUC-Asia Pacific, said:
“This workshop shows the real strength of regional solidarity. By learning from each other’s experiences and building coordinated strategies, we are creating a stronger, united trade-union movement to defend rights and democracy in South Asia.”
The research team will integrate the workshop’s feedback into an upcoming edited volume on labour law reforms in South Asia, expected to be published in 2026.
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