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Petra Dünhaupt and Hansjörg Herr explore the complicated interaction between industrial policy and the constraint of an ever-tighter corset of rules…

Become part of our research and policy network and help us rethink the future of work in Asia during and after COVID-19. Take a look at our focus…

Lifelong learning and vocational training are at the center of the the Regional Tripartite Social Dialogue Conference (RTSDC), held for the 10th time…

By including enforceable labour standards in trade agreements, trade deals will also benefit workers. This Model Labour Chapter for European Union…

Free trade agreements can lead to lower labour standards due to stronger competition and price pressure. By including enforceable labour standards in…

To make decent working conditions and inclusive development a reality for all, industrial policy can play a key role in the Asia-Pacific region.

The extractive industry in Mongolia is making huge money for multinationals, but tax avoidance means this wealth is not translating into investments…

Developing countries must do more than boost exports if they hope to improve workers’ lives. But which industrial policies have proven best at…

Two years after the first Academy of Work in Bangladesh, trainers have restyled the programme to better respond to the challenges of organized labour…

For a trade deal to be fair, it must benefit workers all along the supply chain. To make sure this happens, workers must have a say in policies and…

The right to freely associate, bargain and be free from discrimination for exercising labour rights should continue to form the cornerstone of a…

Without successful industrial policy, developing countries cannot catch up.

The ongoing revision of Vietnam’s Labour Code is an opportunity to ensure workers’ rights are better protected in the economy of the 21st Century.

Campaigns around mega-sporting events can support trade union work in the fight for better working conditions for migrant workers.

The use of targeted sanction solves the main problem with blanket sanctions—the indiscriminate impact—while preserving the most advantageous feature:…

Applying targeted sanctions to enforce labour standards in trade agreements and trade preferences can improve the incentive for compliance.

Technological innovation is changing the way business is managed and how work is organized, raising concerns for workers in all ten ASEAN countries.

Applying targeted sanctions can deter violations of labour standards and improve compliance.

In Vietnam, a rights group works to ensure that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement safeguards labour and environmental standards laid out by EU and…

This publication aims to determine who benefits from trade in the case of Cambodia and proposes policy recommendations to better distribute the…

The study highlights power imbalances in the industrial and labour relations along the global supply chain and offers recommendations for all actors…

Trade unions are developing strategies to address the harm a new generation of trade agreements may have on workers and access to public services in…

The EU and ASEAN are strengthening their cooperation by working towards a regional free trade agreement. The Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD)…

Kathmandu – Experiences from the Philippines and Nepal suggest that a multi-lateral approach to international labour agreements could benefit weaker…

An alumnus speaks of her good fortune in attending the Global Labour University.

Singapore – The sustainable development chapters the European Union has in place in trade agreements and the way they are used are not leading to a…

The European Union says it is taking labour considerations into account in its free trade agreements, but it is not doing it in a way that actually…

Singapore – In 2014, Pakistan became a beneficiary of the EU’s GSP+ programme—a scheme which provides the country with zero import tariffs on most of…

Singapore – Today, some 60 to 80 per cent of the 20 trillion US dollars recorded gross exports are linked to the production of multinational firms in…

Manila (Philippines) – In the face of a rapidly-changing labour market, the Regional Tripartite Social Dialogue Conference (RTSDC) was held last week…

Singapore – A model labour chapter to EU trade agreements and preferences commissioned by FES can pave way to stronger implementation of labour…

Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) – Trade unions gathered on 4-5 September 2017 to promote the ASEAN Guidelines for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on…

Brussels (Belgium) – “Trade agreements are instruments to improve the situation the participating nations find themselves in.”

This publication estimates the potential tariff savings for EU importing companies upon entry into force of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

Growing discontent with globalisation could turn into backlashes unless the EU brings its trade negotiations in line with its own human rights agenda…

This publication examines social or labour chapters in trade agreements, explores the reasons for their ineffectiveness and provides policy…

Singapore (Singapore)—A new publication draws attention to the poor working conditions in global supply chains, and the link between trade and labour

Kathmandu (Nepal) – The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) organized a meeting on improving recruitment…

This publication reveals how trade and global value chains influence working conditions in Asia. It is based on research in the garment, footwear and…

In Asia, countries with export-oriented industries like Vietnam benefit from low wages and a growing workforce to ensure participation in the new…

Dhaka (Bangladesh) ― FES and partners contribute to constructive social partnerships and harmonious industrial relations in the lead up to the Rana…

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is organising a workshop in Phnom Penh to discuss the next steps of Core Labour Standards Plus (CLS+), a regional project in…

An op-ed on working conditions in the electronics industry testifies to the urgency for binding and enforceable labour provisions, focus of CLS+, a…

Singapore ― In a guest contribution for FES on World Day of Social Justice, ITUC General Secretary calls for decent work in supply chains in Asia.

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) – Experts discuss how to link trade, decent work and shared prosperity in global supply chains, finding that voluntary…

More spare time, better pay, safer workplaces: The CLS+ project by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Asia aims to better the working conditions for workers…

What are the challenges and opportunities for achieving decent work in global supply chains? How do transnational corporations and their global supply…

Scholars of the welfare state have long focused on a relatively small number of mature post-industrial political economies, above all the member…

Pokhara (Nepal) — The Asian civil aviation industry is growing alongside a pressing need to organize workers across its different sectors.

An Asia-wide BASF regional network takes shape in Singapore as part of an effort to create a sustainable BASF Global Network of trade unionists.

An important mission of the international union movement is to increase its participation in global governance and convey the views and concerns of…

The potential of Social Protection Floors to eradicate poverty and to balance economic and social uncertainties has been reaffirmed by its prominent…

The FES Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia welcomes its new Director, Adrienne Woltersdorf. After almost four years, the previous Director Julia…

Young workers affiliated to the International Transport Federation have expressed their concern over the growing trend of precarious work arrangements…

In Kathmandu, Building and Woodworkers International and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung bring together women trade unionists to pave the road for…

Securing social and labour standards in global supply chains is a challenge under current trade regimes and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is gearing up…

In this workshop, FES brought together partners and representatives from regional and international organisations, parliaments, trade unions, academic…

At the end of 2015, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) has become a reality for the region’s 600 million people. The AEC has great potential to…

Lively discussions of representatives from trade union centres from over 20 countries from Asia and Europe with government officials, the European…