Publication for Download (Full List)

Labour in Globalising Asian Corporations: A portrait of struggle

This volume from the ATNC series of AMRC examines how ‘work’ is being recomposed by mobile capital in Asia. It traces the interaction between multinational companies and local labour, drawing on the examples of the evolution of emerging multinational giant Samsung Electronics, the world’s most profitable automaker Toyota, and the survival strategies of the Taiwanese national brand Tatung. We are shown how the world of labour and living has changed for workers as a result of these multinational companies’ operation and expansion of capital in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, India, and China.

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Asian Transnational Corporation Outlook 2004: Asian TNCs, workers, and the movement of capital

This book provides a general picture of capital movement from Asia and thereby illuminating the importance of monitoring ATNCs. It includes achievements of the ATNC network researchers over the past two years. It highlights the impact of Asian investment on labour in different countries thereby providing an understanding of the restructuring of labour and the 'race to the bottom' of labour conditions as an aspect of a particular form of the globalisation of capital.

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A Critical Guide to Corporate Codes of Conduct

This book been one of our most sought after
publications and as a result we are planning for a second edition very soon. During this time, the present edition is available as a free download to all our readers. This book seeks to understand the nature of corporate codes of conduct and utilise them in improving working conditions of millions of workers in Asia. The introductory chapters introduce us to the basic concepts surrounding codes of conduct, bringing together information on existing codes of conduct as well as a brief history of their development. This is followed by papers by Apo Leong, Monina Wong and Junya Yimprasert, which describes both the utility and the limits of corporate codes of conduct in improving working conditions, based on the authors' varied experiences in critically utilising corporate codes of conduct. In the last chapter, Dae-oup Chang explores the rather intrinsic limits of codes of conduct, and tries to identify conditions on which we can engage with TNC's on codes, rather than falling back into the myths that have been created surrounding them.

(Chinese version of this publication is for sale,)

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Working for Life: Sourcebook on Occupational Health for Women

For too long, the powers that be have gotten away with it. Giant transnational corporations as well as medium-scale, locally owned enterprises have for too long neglected the issue of occupational safety on the ground that to invest in health and safety would be too heavy a financial burden.

How long more do workers, and in particular women, have to subsidise the profits of corporations with their health and lives? No longer should be the answer. The right to work safely is part of the right to health. If corporations are to profit from women’s work, it is incumbent upon them to provide safe and healthy working conditions. It is therefore imperative for women workers’ groups and trade unions to develop a worker-driven Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) strategy. Such a strategy will of course require substantive information on women’s OHS concerns.

Working for Life provides an introduction to some of the complexities of the issue of Occupational Health and Safety. Some of the topics discussed in the book include OHS regulations, occupational issues of specific interest to women, industry based hazards and personal protection and hygiene at work. It is hoped that the “how-to” approach of this manual will enable women workers and trade union organisers to develop action-oriented strategies based on the realities in their own workplace.

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EU- China Economic relations 2004

China is one step closer to WTO membership after an agreement was signed with the EU in May this year. Most attention however is focused on the economic benefits for governments and multinationals, and as a result the costs to human development seems to have been downplayed.

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Workers' Education in the 21st Century

The Asia Pacific Workers' Exchange Practitioners Workshop titled Workers' Education in the 21st Century was held in Macao from 21-23rd September 2003. The proceedings of the workshop can be downloaded in pdf format here...

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