YANGON - Workers were joined by the Myanmar Labour Minister, U Maung Myint, business leaders and representatives from the International Labour Organization (ILO) in a ceremony to mark May Day in Yangon.

ILO Deputy Director-General Greg Vines told the gathering that, one year since Myanmar passed the Organization of Labour Law, there was “real cause for celebration this year that workers and employers are able to enjoy the freedom of association rights guaranteed by ILO Convention 87 and are able to work together to create Decent Work in Myanmar”.

He said that Myanmar still faces problems and there is a long way to go before the country achieves the well-resourced industrial relations system that it needs. But government, workers and employers can be proud of the very good start they have made, he added. 

  On Tuesday, in the same conference hall, representatives from 500 labour organizations made history when they gathered for the first time in Myanmar's history to discuss collective bargaining, occupational health and safety - among other topics - and to elect their worker representative to this year’s International Labour Conference (ILC). The ILC takes place every year in June at the ILO’s headquarters in Geneva.