ABSTRACT
As economies across East Asia were affected by the crisis of the late 1990s, labour movements inevitably responded to the fallout. The independent unions responses to the crisis and to the International Monetary Fund programs show the strength of the organising/social movement model of unionism. This chapter argues that the fall of repressive regimes and legalisation of unionism elsewhere in East Asia creates the possibility that the South Korean model of social movement unionism could be a useful model for emerging independent unions in the region. The Korean Council of Trade Unions (KCTU's) analysis of the program stressed its support for measures to end corruption and improve national banking regulation and transparency and accountability in both the banking and corporate systems. The Asian financial crisis has challenged the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU's) regional organisations to attempt more critical analysis of both the liberalisation project and neoliberal policies, and to put forward alternative policies.
