ABSTRACT
This book examines the challenges facing trade unions and labour movements in the Asia-Pacific region and the strategies they are adopting in response. Thirteen countries in the region are analysed using a common framework, comprising the following five research questions: How have unions and the labour movement evolved in recent years? What are the core challenges confronting the unions and the labour movement? What strategic actions are being taken by the unions and the labour movement in response to these challenges? What have the unions and the labour movement achieved and what are the major factors influencing the outcomes? What are the theoretical implications which can be drawn from the country case studies of each country? The book analyses the degree to which the concepts of ‘varieties of capitalism’ and ‘varieties of unionism’, which were primarily based on developed Western economies, are relevant to the experience of unions and labour movements in Asia. It is intended that this volume will contribute to a broader comparative perspective in order to further refine the ‘varieties of unionism’ concept in relation to the future of unions and worker representation in the Asia-Pacific region.
