The International Trade Union Confederation has condemned the World Bank’s newly launched Business Ready Index, for its “dangerous” ranking of countries’ labour policies. The World Bank’s Business Ready Index ranked countries on their alleged ease of doing business. In the lead-up to its development, the ITUC had previously criticised the B-Ready Index’s proposed methodology, and for effectively promoting a race to the bottom in labour rights, working conditions and social protection.
ITUC General Secretary, Luc Triangle, said, “As workers around the world face brutal retaliation for exercising their right to organise a union and improve their working conditions, it is deeply troubling for the World Bank to rank countries in a way that stimulates competition to erode labour standards. “There is no shortcut for democratic consultation and social dialogue on labour market practices. Reforms based on such an unbalanced analysis will be misguided at best and dangerous at worst.
“Labour policies are not simple inputs, like business licenses or utility hook-ups, and they can’t be ranked in the same fashion. Trade unions globally argue that labour is not an appropriate topic for the B-Ready Index and should be removed.” Related News FG, W’Bank train 600 Gombe youths 20% of maternal, child mortality cases from Nigeria, says W’Bank W’Bank partners ministry on maritime sector development According to Triangle, ITUC is disappointed by the process that develop.
