Reforms Around The World
Summaries of Reforms
Between 1 January 2020 and 1 January 2022, we recorded 54 changes to indicator scores. There were 33 countries which introduced positive legal reforms, resulting in a change of score to 1. Over the same period, 21 countries either introduced legislative changes or did not revise their minimum wages during the last two years, resulting in a change in their score to 0. Bangladesh, Burundi, Mongolia and Togo were the only countries to have introduced changes in their legislation frustrating workers rights or inaction on their parts, thereby affecting the provision of labour rights in these countries.
Angola
❌ Fair Wages: Angola last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
Bahrain
✔ Fair Treatment: Bahrain mandated equal remuneration for work of equal value. Bahrain also lifted restrictions on women’s ability to work at night and repealed provisions prohibiting or restricting women from working in certain jobs or industries.
Bangladesh
❌ Fair Wages: Bangladesh last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
✔ Trade Union: Bangladesh has allowed workers in export processing zones to bargain collectively with employers through their representative unions.
Bolivia
✔ Fair Treatment: Bolivia has removed restrictions on women’s employment. The law now allows women to work in the same jobs as men.
Botswana
❌ Trade Union: Botswana has imposed limitations on the scope of collective bargaining of public sector workers not engaged in the administration of the State.
Burundi
✔ Employment Security: Burundi has restricted the hiring of fixed-term contract workers by limiting the length and renewals of fixed-term contracts to 12 months
❌ Maternity at Work: Burundi has made maternity benefits an employer's liability.
✔ Safe Work: Burundi has required employers to provide free personal protective equipment to workers. The country has also restricted work that is prejudicial to the health of the mother or the child.
✔ Social Security: Burundi has introduced state-administered unemployment benefits for its workers.
✔ Fair Treatment: Burundi has mandated equal remuneration for work of equal value.
✔ Trade Union: Burundi has prohibited employers from terminating employment contracts of striking workers.
Cabo Verde
❌ Fair Wages: Cabo Verde last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
❌ Fair Wages: The Democratic Republic of the Congo last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
Greece
✔ Family Responsibilities: Greece introduced paid paternity leave of 16 calendar days.
Iraq
❌ Fair Wages: Iraq last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
Kenya
❌ Fair Wages: Kenya last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
Kuwait
✔ Maternity at Work: Kuwait has implicitly prohibited inquiring about pregnancy during recruitment.
Lebanon
✔ Fair Wages: Lebanon has updated its minimum wage after or on 1 January 2020.
Lesotho
❌ Fair Wages: Lesotho last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
Madagascar
❌ Fair Wages: Madagascar last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
Malawi
✔ Family Responsibilities: Malawi introduced paid paternity leave of 14 calendar days. The country has also passed a law requiring paid nursing breaks until the child is six months of age.
Mongolia
❌ Fair Wages: Mongolia requires overtime compensation to be 150% of the regular hourly rate for employees who worked overtime and were not provided with compensatory rest.
✔ Decent Working Hours: Mongolia has restricted maximum working hours, including overtime, to 56 hours per week.
✔ Employment Security: Mongolia has restricted the hiring of fixed-term contract workers by limiting the length and renewals of fixed-term contracts to 24 months.
❌ Employment Security: Mongolia has extended the length of the probation period, including renewals, from three months to a maximum of six months.
✔ Family Responsibilities: Mongolia has introduced a paid paternity leave of 14 calendar days. The country now also requires flexible work arrangements for workers with family responsibilities.
✔ Fair Treatment: Mongolia mandates equal remuneration for work of equal value.
❌ Child and Forced Labour: Mongolia has set the employment entry age lower than the compulsory schooling age.
❌ Trade Union: Mongolia has not regulated the right to collective bargaining of civil servants not engaged in the administration of the State.
Montenegro
✔ Fair Treatment: Montenegro has removed restrictions on women’s employment. The law now allows women to work in the same jobs as men.
Myanmar
❌ Fair Wages: Myanmar last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
Nigeria
❌ Fair Wages: Nigeria last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
Peru
❌ Fair Wages: Peru last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
Qatar
✔ Fair Wages: Qatar has updated its minimum wage after or on 1 January 2020. It is the first country in the region to announce a non-discriminatory wage that applies to all workers, irrespective of their sector of employment and nationality.
Senegal
❌ Fair Wages: Senegal last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.
✔ Safe Work: Senegal has restricted work that is prejudicial to the health of the mother or the child.
Spain
✔ Trade Union: Spain has prohibited employers from terminating employment contracts of striking workers.
Togo
❌ Maternity at Work: Togo does not protect workers from dismissals during or on account of pregnancy.
✔ Fair Treatment: Togo has removed restrictions on women’s employment. The law now allows women to work in the same jobs as men.
❌ Trade Union: Togo has imposed limitations on the right to strike by extending the list of essential services outside the scope defined in the Labour Rights Index.
Ukraine
✔ Family Responsibilities: Ukraine has introduced a paid paternity leave of 14 calendar days.
United Arab Emirates
✔ Family Responsibilities: UAE has introduced a paid paternity leave of 7 calendar days.
✔ Fair Treatment: UAE now mandates equal remuneration for work of equal value.
Vietnam
✔ Maternity at Work: Vietnam has implicitly prohibited pregnancy inquiry and testing during recruitment.
✔ Fair Treatment: Vietnam has prohibited discrimination in employment matters. The country has also removed restrictions on women’s employment. The law now allows women to work in the same jobs as men.
Zambia
❌ Fair Wages: Zambia last updated its minimum wage before 1 January 2020.