'In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution stating that eight hours would constitute a legal day's work from and after May 1, 1886. The resolution called for a general strike to achieve the goal, since legislative methods had already failed. With workers being forced to work ten, twelve, and fourteen hours a day, rank-and-file support for the eight-hour movement grew rapidly, despite the indifference and hostility of many union leaders. By April 1886, 250,000 workers were involved in the May Day movement.'

'Working classes have existed since the development of agriculture, about ten thousand years ago. Serfs, slaves, tradespeople and others were forced to turn over the fruits of their labor to an exploiting class. But the modern working class - the class of "free labor," whose exploitation is hidden by the wage system - is only several hundred years old. Although its exploitation is masked, it is no less brutal. Men, women and children are forced to work long hours in miserable conditions just to eke out a bare subsistence.' (Andy McInerney, in Liberation & Marxism, issue no. 27, Spring 1996)

Read more about the history at 'May day on the web'

The International Labour Organization (ILO) was created in 1919, at the end of the First World War, at the time of the Peace Conference which convened first in Paris, then at Versaillesneed for such an organization had been advocated in the nineteenth century by two industrialists, Robert Owen (1771-1853) of Wales and Daniel Legrand . The (1783-1859) of France.

The ILO's work cover humanitarian, political, as well as economic aspects in order to tackle workers' issue in a holistic perspective. Read more 'about ILO'

International Labour Standards provided by ILO can be found at http://webfusion.ilo.org/public/db/standards/normes/index.cfm?lang=EN

Globalisation - during the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar on 9 November 2001, hundreds of thousands of workers in 45 countries participated in 70 protest actions, as part of the Global Unions Day of Action. Demonstrators demanded globalisation that favours true justice and equality. They called for worker rights, job security, quality universal education and health care for all. They also demanded open and democratic globalisation that helps the poor and not just the rich.

On 27 February 2002, the ILO launched a 'World Commission on the Social Dimensions of Globalisation,' to be headed by the Finish and Tanzanian presidents, aiming to address the question of how to create a more social globalisation. The principal objective is to advance the debate on globalisation through factual analysis. Members are drawn from all regions of the world including top-level trade unionists and high profile members (former president from Uruguay and former Foreign Minister from Thailand). The commission is expected to complete its deliberations and present an authoritative report to ILO in the course of 2003.

Read more on globalisation and labour news around the Asia region at the Asia Monitor Resource Center

Union for Women, Women for Unions Campaign - a 3-year International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) campaign launched on 7 March. The campaign aims to double the amount of women in the trade union movement and lead the fight for social justice (e.g., women's rights in the work force, equal pay as instrument for combating poverty, etc).

Forced Labour Campaign - two key organisations namely the Anti-Slavery International and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) launched a campaign on this issue on 2 December 2001, in comemoration of the United Nations International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. The report on 'Forced Labour in the 21st Century' denounce the cases of forced labour in several countries. Three countries identified in Asia are Nepal, Burma and India.

Trade Sanction Against Burma - is a campaign for full compliance with human and workers rights in Burma including a call for an end to trade and investment with Burma. A military dictatorship has ruled Burma for several decades. It is one of the worst human and trade union rights offender in the world. There is no real possibility to guarantee any workers' right, including the area of forced labour. The international trade union movement believes that it is impossible to conduct any trade or engage in other economic activity with Burma without providing direct or indirect support, mostly financial, to the military junta. As a result, 310 companies received a Global Unions letter asking them to explain the nature and scope of their involvement in Burma and invited to withdraw its business from the country. A list of all the companies involved in Burma was published, new ones will be added into it and those who withdrew from Burma will be removed. A full list of companies can be found at http://www.global-unions.org/burma/

Framework Agreements to Help Workers - the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Association (IUF) has managed to sign framework agreements with several multinationals (companies) over the past few years. These agreements will be used to define minimum social standards for all activities carried out by the companies concerned and open the way for collective bargaining with unions at national and/or local levels.

APEC Labour Forum - the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has long promoted the need for the creation of an APEC labour fourm within the organisation of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). However, it was disappointing that the 9th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, which took place at the end of October 2001 in Shanghai, made no mention of the situation of workers. The meeting failed to discuss about workers' situation or discuss with workers' representatives, the trade unions.

Guide to Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers - a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) is a new instrument of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to combat poverty. The structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) that had been used for more than 50 years was scrapped by the international financial institutions due to its failure. In September 1999, the WB and IMF announced that all their loan programmes targeting the 80 poorest countries in the world would thereafter be based on PRSPs. Moreover, the WB and IMF now recognise that it is also necessary to protect the weakest from the negative impact of these economics reforms and to help all sectors of society benefit from them. A further important breakthrough with the PRSPs is the consultation of civil society (including the unions) in the formulation of development strategies. In other words, the WB and the IMF will now ask the national public authorities and trade unions to assess the level of poverty of a country, define the poverty reduction targets and set up a specifically-funded policy programme centering on those key targets for the PRSPs.

Aware that some unions from developing countries will not have the resources to wage an intensive campaign on PRSPs, the ICFTU has produced a guide providing information on the consultation process to trade unionists in the countries concerned, with a view to their participation in it. The main danger is that by keeping out of the system, the unions risk allowing PRSPs to be established which totally ignore the rights of workers.

Asia Monitor Resource Center

Catholic Worker Movement (in USA and countries in Europe)

Child Workers in Asia

Clean Clothes Campaign

Committee for Asian Women (CAW)

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)

International Labour Organisation (ILO)

International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and allied Workers' Associations (IUF)