Trade Unions in Asia: An Economic and Sociological Analysis

Asia has undergone a rapid transformation over the past decade as many countries have embraced globalisation, promoting a substantial improvement in living standards for the majority of workers. Nevertheless, the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis and the resulting surge in unemployment has demonstrated the inherent weaknesses of the global economic system and the negative impacts of a development approach based solely on economic growth. Asian workers often lack adequate legislative protection and institutional support, meaning that trade unions represent one of the few institutions capable of promoting some measure of equity and social justice. This book examines the role played by trade unions in Asia, with particular focus on how they have organised to represent workers and the strategies they have adopted. It discusses the issues surrounding wages and working conditions, health and safety, women's employment opportunities and human resource development, in the context of the major regional economies, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, India, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. It is argued that in the developed economies sectoral shifts away from manufacturing towards services and knowledge-based work is putting pressure on unions to develop new strategies to represent workers, whilst in the developing economies the vulnerability of workers in a globalised world is constraining the growth of unionism. Overall, this book provides a comprehensive account of the role of trade unions in Asia today.Benson, John is the author of 'Trade Unions in Asia: An Economic and Sociological Analysis' with ISBN 9780415410076 and ISBN 041541007X.