On the occasion of the World Day for Decent Work (WDDW), the ITUC-Asia Pacific reaffirms that democracy is the foundation of decent work. Across Asia and the Pacific, workers face multiple and intersecting crises — from economic insecurity and climate change to authoritarianism and shrinking civic space — that directly undermine their rights and dignity at work.
“Decent work cannot exist without the protection of democratic freedoms,” said Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary of ITUC-Asia Pacific. “When governments silence trade unions and restrict civic space, they are not only attacking democracy, they are denying workers the ability to negotiate fair wages, secure safe workplaces, and participate in shaping a just future.”
The ITUC-Asia Pacific underscored that decent work and democracy are inseparable. In Myanmar, the military junta continues to outlaw independent trade unions and persecute their leaders. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has erased labour rights and excluded women from the world of work. In Hong Kong, the government’s use of the National Security Law and Article 23 has dismantled democratic and labour organisations. Even in nations with formal democratic systems, democratic institutions are strained by polarisation, corruption, and institutional capture, with rising public discontent exposing the depth of the crisis.
This fragility is compounded by corporate capture, where powerful economic actors exploit weak institutions to entrench their interests and undermine democratic accountability. The recently released ITUC Corporate Underminers of Democracy 2025 report exposed how a growing network of anti-union corporations, far-right billionaires, and weapons manufacturers is fuelling war, division, and repression, while driving down wages and working conditions.
“When corporations and authoritarian regimes undermine democracy, workers pay the price,” said Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary of ITUC-Asia Pacific. “A New Social Contract is urgently needed: one that puts people, jobs, and justice above profit and repression.”
On this World Day for Decent Work, ITUC-Asia Pacific called on governments in Asia and the Pacific to restore and uphold democratic rights, protect trade unions and their leaders from reprisals, and engage in genuine social dialogue with workers’ organisations. It also urged the international community to hold repressive regimes accountable and to stand with workers defending democracy in the face of violence, repression, and exclusion.
ITUC-Asia Pacific stressed that trade unions are central to building democratic societies where all workers — including women, youth, and those in the informal economy — can secure safe and dignified jobs.
“Workers are at the heart of democracy,” Yoshida added. “It is only when their voices are free, their rights respected, and their organisations recognised that decent work can be achieved. On this World Day for Decent Work, we stand in solidarity with all workers across Asia-Pacific who continue to fight for democracy that delivers for workers.”
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