Privatisation and ‘‘structural adjustment’’ will be a common phenomenon in two of the largest economies in Asia, China, and India. Presently these two countries are undergoing ambitious economic reforms based on creating a dynamic market economy. Often there is insufficient or callous attention to workers’ interests when the planners of these policies implement the so-called “‘reforms’’.
As industrialisation spreads across Asia, waste and toxic hazards accumulate at a disturbing rate and pose a major threat. Many developed nations partially relieve themselves of the burden of toxic waste by exporting undesirable industries and processes to less-industrialised and less-regulated countries. The “grow now, clean up later” approach to development in Asia has established an environmental menace that may haunt the region for decades to come.
Is the ICFTU theory back-to-front? Is the so-called New World Order (NWO) in danger of being ‘killed off at birth by casino capitalism’, as the ICFTU maintains? Yes and no.
For the last six months, columnists and editors for many publications around the world have been trumpeting the break in the Cold War as a historic victory for capitalism, and, they say, democracy. The euphoria has at times reached almost juvenile heights, but more disturbing than that is the fact that it seems blind to reality.
As the world recovers from a major war and many international forces and international alliances are being reassessed, implications for labour are far-reaching.
The fact that migrant workers are the main source of foreign exchange for some Asian countries further highlights the complexity and seriousness of a war whose real effects and implications are just beginning to be felt.
• May Day protests in the Philippines
• New confederation formed in Hong Kong
• General strike in South Korea
• Malaysian electronics workers organize
• Japanese company closes Korean operation
• Labour demands wage rises in the Philippines
• Hong Kong workers talk about 1997
Our first issue of Asian Labour Update is a special one which reviews the most significant moments of the Korean workers' movement during the 1980s. The articles were first published by Korea Labour News (KLN, 29 December 1989-1 January 1990), and have been translated by AMRC. Updates come from KLN's January 26th issue. Some details about specific events have been added to provide a clearer picture of the Korean situation for those not very familiar with it.
This publication was produced by AMRC in 1985 and has been a valuable resource for those working on OSH and labour rights issues in the electronics industry for the past two decades.