The content of this book is upon of the discussion in the Fourth Asian Roundtable on Social Security meeting which was co-organised by AMRC and the University of Philippines in Manila. The book includes country reports on social protection in Asia, overview on the road to social protection in Asia, outcome of the conference, among others. The book serves to provide comprehensive information on social protection for all from the labour perspective in Asia.
“We have brave clients. They deserve brave lawyers” Atty. Romeo Capulong 1935 - 2012
Last January 2011, a work accident took the lives of ten workers at the Eton Residences construction site at Makati, Philippines. They were underpaid, one was a minor, and the gondola they were riding on had no permit -- yet two years later, justice remains elusive for the victims of the tragedy. Their families, however, do not lose hope as they continue to struggle against an immensely powerful and wealthy enemy.
A study on BPO in the Philippines, by the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research, Inc. (EILER), focuses on the development of a new variant of the zone which has emerged with the rapid development of information technology. As pointed in this chapter, a new generation of SEZ policies in the Philippineswere introduced in 1995 with the signing of the SEZ Act.
A group of labour leaders and activists from seven Asian countries gathered to share experiences regarding “Strengthening Freedom of Association in Asia: Strategies and Mechanisms”, co-hosted by Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) and the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR). Aggressive union-busting and violent repression of organizing have been among the chief problems faced by Asian labour organizations when they organize workers in defense of their labour rights – with gross impunity even in cases where such rights are clearly constitutiona
The book provides an analysis that capital mobility has become major and underlying factor of the precarity of workers in Asia. The chapters - case studies on Japan, China, Philippines and Thailand - illustrate that workers’ collective bargaining power has declined which can be seen in the intensification of irregularisation, union busting actions, company closures, and massive dismissal of workers reported across the region. In many cases, this condition has resulted in the weakening of militancy of workers in countries that used to be dynamic actors in the labour rights movement.
This meeting took place 6 months after the first researchers meeting and it was along with ATNC Annual conference in the Philippines in September 2010. Following the meeting earlier, the researchers investigated the financialisation process in two sectors namely automotive and electronics. And those findings were shared and discussed in the second meeting.
Nenita ‘Ka Nitz’ Gonzaga used to work as a secretary to Felixberto ‘Ka Bert’ Olalia Sr., known as the grand old man of the Philippine labour movement.1 Ka Bert was among the labour leaders instrumental to the rebirth of the militant labour movement in the Philippines during the oppressive Marcos dictatorship period. He was the founding chairperson of the militant labour center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU or May First Movement).
It would probably be a fair assessment to say that a sizable majority of Filipinos in this mainly Catholic nation believe in miracles. But even the most pious of believers might have a difficult time swallowing one particular miracle being peddled these days.
This book is more than a review of labour law, it is the only comprehensive review available of labour law in the Asia Pacific region. It investigates the impact of labour law on workers in 30 countries. It analyses trade union and labour activists’ responses to changes in labour law, and examines what labour law means for workers’ daily lives. Each chapter representing a country can be downloaded country wise for download below.
In 1997 a representative from the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD), an Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (APHEDA) project partner in the Philippines, undertook a study tour to Australia.
Under IOHSAD’s Health Care Services programme, medical clinics go to workplaces to service workers.
EPZs are viewed as union-free zones where workers are exploited and their rights to organise are brutally trampled. But the situation for EPZ workers cannot be truly understood if analysed in isolation of family, society, and the global marketplace. Conditions in the EPZs are a reflection and magnification of universal class and gender problems. Even though women are undervalued in the labour force, their families, governments, and employers benefit from and depend on their low cost (and often free) labour inside and outside the home.