At a special session on Myanmar during the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar said Myanmar is facing a second Commission of Inquiry (COI) while fundamental labor rights continue to be severely violated across the country.

Speaking at the conference, CTUM Assistant General Secretary Phyo Sandar Soe stated that Myanmar had previously been investigated by an ILO Commission of Inquiry over forced labor violations. She said the current inquiry has found systematic and serious violations not only of ILO Convention No. 29 on Forced Labour but also Convention No. 87 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise.

She argued that the release of some trade union members and political prisoners by the military authorities does not address the root causes of the problem.

“The international community does not need to praise the release of people who should never have been arrested in the first place,” she said.

Phyo Sandar Soe also noted that while the military authorities claim to have registered more than 3,000 labor organizations, many trade union leaders have been forced to flee abroad and continue their labor rights activities from exile.

Workers inside Myanmar, she said, often fear arrest, retaliation, or dismissal from their jobs, making it difficult even to identify themselves publicly as union members.

A trade union member from Shwepyitha Township told New Day Myanmar that workers are reluctant to reveal their union affiliation.

“Under the current circumstances, people are afraid even to say they are trade union members. If employers find out, they may look for reasons to dismiss them. If authorities find out, they could be arrested. That is why labor rights activities have to be carried out quietly,” the worker said.

Phyo Sandar Soe also highlighted the revocation of CTUM President Maung Maung’s citizenship as a serious violation of freedom of association.

She stressed that Myanmar workers are not demanding special privileges but are simply seeking the fundamental rights guaranteed under ILO conventions.

According to her presentation, implementation of the Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations should not be measured by official commitments, public statements, or the number of pardons granted. Instead, she said, progress should be assessed based on whether workers across Myanmar experience tangible improvements in their daily lives, freedoms, and ability to exercise their labor rights.