Trade unions in Laos have been active in the country since at least the mid-20th Century.

20th Century

During the

Royal Lao Government The Royal Lao Government was the ruling authority in the Kingdom of Laos from 1947 until the communist seizure of power in December 1975 and the proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The Franco-Lao Treaty of 1953 gave Laos full i ...

three statutes were passed that governed industrial relations (1955, 1967 and 1971). The largest union during this period was the Lao Civil Servants Union, founded in 1959. A number of unions, including the Civil Servants Union, started the Lao Labour Federation around the same time. Laos joined the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

in 1964. With the start of the

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...

, the Lao Workers Union was established in areas controlled by the

Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...

. Trade unionists took active part in the demonstrations that ushered in the

Lao People's Democratic Republic Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

in 1975. In 1983, the Lao Federation of Trade Unions held its first congress.

Current situation

The current law forbids independent trade unions requiring all unions to belong to the sole national centre, the LFTU. The Labour Law of 2006 forbids work stoppages and strikes. Employees in state enterprises and government officers constitute the largest membership of trade unions in Laos. Laos has not ratified the two core Conventions covering trade union rights of association and collective bargaining.

References

{{Portal, Organized labour