News

Senior Labour Officials from Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam are working with UNI Apro, BWI and PSI under the platform of ASEAN Services Trade Unions Council (ASETUC) and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) on a comparative study to understand labour laws and practices among the 10 ASEAN member states.

The first workshop was held in Singapore on 23 March 2012, facilitated through an open and transparent process between the labour officials, academes and trade unionists to finalize the concept note, workplan and expected research outcomes. The final draft of the research concept paper have been produced and the document will be presented to at the upcoming ASEAN Senior Labour Officials Meeting in early May this year.

The study aims to fulfill the targeted workplan of ASEAN Labour Ministers, 2011-2015, specifically pertaining to reach better understanding of the region's labour laws towards an eventual harmonization and integration of ASEAN as well as to close the gap of development between the members countries.

This volume's research would cover topics such as vulnerable groups in ASEAN, in particular, employment of youth, women, and persons with disabilities, and a topic on industrial relations (social dialogue). International experts and researchers from the ASEAN region will conduct the study alongside with identified focal points from member states. The research is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.