Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise and Bargain Collectively. "Burma ratified Convention 87 in 1955, and is bound as an ILO member to apply the principles of freedom of association. Burmese laws in place which should protect these rights are inconsistent with international standards, and are ignored in practice. There are no independent labor unions, and there is no right to collective bargaining. Workers who try to form or join unions in Burma are liable to be arrested and jailed, and may be tortured. Burmese seafarers who contact international unions over their working conditions are harassed and punished, including by having their right to work at sea and their passports revoked. Largely because there are no independent unions in Burma, there is no collective bargaining in the country. Military and civilian authorities intervened during a recent case of labor unrest in the apparel sector, the largest source of imports to the United States from Burma..."