The Building and Woodworkers’ International (BWI) welcomes the decision of the 353rd Session of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Body to table a draft resolution on Myanmar at the upcoming 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), under Article 33 of the ILO Constitution, to compel military authorities to implement ILO Commission of Inquiry (COI)’s 11 recommendations.

However, BWI expresses concern about the proposal to “consider sending an Office mission to review steps taken by the military authorities to implement the 11 recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry”. While framed as an assessment of the regime’s willingness to engage, such a mission risks legitimising the military authorities and undermining the spirit and effectiveness of the forthcoming Resolution.

“The military junta has a well-documented pattern of manupulating institutional platforms to fabricate ‘social dialogue’, establishing ‘fake unions’ and co-opting state-controlled bodies, such as the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission—which has been stripped of its accreditation by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI),” said BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson. “Any proposed Office mission must guarantee a credible and transparent verification process. It must not lend legitimacy to actors complicit in whitewashing human rights violations.”

Phyo Sandar Soe, BWI Deputy President, echoed these concerns: “The ILO must proceed with extreme caution. Any mission, if undertaken, must be strictly technical, narrowly scoped, and fully transparent. Engagement must be limited to genuinely independent, democratically and freely elected representative social partners, such as the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM) and must exclude junta-backed entities. Any process that lends even tacit legitimacy to the military’s façade of compliance would betray the victims and contravene the core purpose of the resolution under Article 33. Symbolic gestures must not replace meaningful action.”

She further emphasised: “Any ILO mission must also include strong safeguards, ensure protection for workers and victims, and absolutely avoid contact with military-backed structures. It must not weaken the strength of the resolution or be used as a delaying tactic.”

"The resolution must proceed without any obstruction, and the world must not remain silent. This is the time to stand on the right side of history.”

Nevertheless, BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson reaffirmed the importance of the draft resolution: “This draft resolution represents a pivotal moment for the ILO and the global labour movement. If adopted by the ILC, it will open the door to stronger international measures—including economic and trade sanctions—targeting the timber and extractive industries that sustain the junta’s rule. The precedent is clear: in 2000, the successful invocation of Article 33 compelled Myanmar’s then-military regime to take tangible steps toward curbing forced labour. We must now act with equal resolve.”

BWI calls on all ILO member States, Global Union Federations, and trade unions to support the resolution on Myanmar and mobilise their members and governments voting in favour of its adoption at the 113th International Labour Conference. The world must act decisively and without delay.