South Africa flagged as workers' rights crisis deepens: Global index shows attacks on labour rising

South Africa has been flagged as one of the countries where attacks on workers are getting worse, according to the 2026 Global Rights Index released by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

The annual report, which assesses workers' rights protections in 151 countries, placed South Africa in a category reserved for nations where governments or employers regularly interfere with collective labour rights.

Compiled using 97 indicators based on International Labour Organisation conventions and jurisprudence, the index paints a concerning picture of the global state of workers' rights. Violence, arrests and restrictions on labour organising continue to rise.

According to the report, workers experienced violence in 32% of countries during 2026, up from 26% the previous year. South Africa was listed among countries where attacks on workers increased, alongside India, Palestine and Ukraine.

ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle warned that the erosion of workers' rights was becoming a broader threat to democratic institutions.

"The 2026 Global Rights Index shows that the crisis for workers' rights is no longer confined to the margins. It is now at the heart of democracies. Governments are failing to protect working people, and in many cases are actively undermining them," he said.

Triangle said attacks on labour rights increasingly reflected a wider assault on democratic freedoms.

"But workers and their unions are fighting back. The struggle for workers' rights is the fight for democracy itself, for our rights, our safety and our livelihoods. Without strong unions, there can be no real democracy," he said.

The report found that workers' rights continued to deteriorate globally, including in countries traditionally regarded as democratic strongholds.

A record 72% of countries were found to deny workers access to justice, while half of all countries arrested or detained workers during the reporting period. Violations of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly increased by 5%, with restrictions now reported in half of the countries assessed.

The ITUC identified three key trends driving the decline in labour rights globally. These include the targeting of trade union leaders through arrests, violence and criminalisation; the growing use of digital surveillance to monitor and discipline workers; and governments increasingly excluding unions from labour law reform processes.

Among the report's findings, three out of four countries were found to restrict workers' ability to organise, while civil liberties violations increased by 3%.

The report also highlighted growing pressure on trade union leaders, who in some countries face arrests, persecution and even killings.

Elsewhere, the United States was added to the ITUC Watchlist over concerns relating to collective bargaining rights and the use of force against workers.

France received its lowest rating since the index was introduced, while Argentina recorded one of the sharpest declines in the report's history, falling from a rating of three to five within two years.

The ITUC identified the 10 worst countries for workers' rights in 2026 as Argentina, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, Panama, Tunisia and Türkiye.

The findings come amid growing international concern over the weakening of labour protections and the shrinking space for organised labour in both developing and advanced economies.