Deep Organising is the Path Forward
In much of Asia, gig work is highly individualised, and algorithmic management fragments the labour process, diminishing workers’ structural power.
Labour Protests amid Deepening Crisis in Bangladesh
Weeks of mass protests led to the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024. The
Emotioning Labour
Editor’s Note: Asia’s labour movements have a gender problem. Women organisers and leaders are often doubly burdened with domestic and reproductive
Migrant Labour Politics in Singapore: the Emergence of New Social Forces
Low-wage migrant workers in Singapore have long suffered from a litany of abuses – low, stagnant, and unpaid wages; unreported
Beyond the Uprising in Bangladesh
Editor’s Note: After weeks of protests in July and August during which the security forces killed hundreds of protesters, Bangladesh’s
Deep Organising is the Path Forward
In much of Asia, gig work is highly individualised, and algorithmic management fragments the labour process, diminishing workers’ structural power.
Labour Protests amid Deepening Crisis in Bangladesh
Weeks of mass protests led to the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024. The
Migrant Labour Politics in Singapore: the Emergence of New Social Forces
Low-wage migrant workers in Singapore have long suffered from a litany of abuses – low, stagnant, and unpaid wages; unreported
Beyond the Uprising in Bangladesh
Editor’s Note: After weeks of protests in July and August during which the security forces killed hundreds of protesters, Bangladesh’s
Subverting the Status Quo
Editor’s Note: On the afternoon of September 19, 2021, the Chinese feminist journalist Huang Xueqin and labor activist Wang Jianbing
The Return of Strikes in China
Since China’s market reform in the 1980s, the “world factory” has witnessed waves of strikes in the manufacturing sector, especially
Emotioning Labour
Editor’s Note: Asia’s labour movements have a gender problem. Women organisers and leaders are often doubly burdened with domestic and reproductive
Eni Lestari: the Making of A Migrant Labor Organizer (Part 2)
Elaine: You mentioned that this fear was so intense among the Indonesians that it must have taken a lot of
Eni Lestari: the Making of A Migrant Labor Organizer (Part 1)
Editor’s Note: What makes a committed labor organizer? Eni Lestari was among the tens of thousands of migrants from Indonesia
The Case for an Independent Singaporean Labor Movement
Editor’s Note: Behind the image of Singapore as a wealthy city-state with an affluent population is the reality of a
“We still have a long way to go”: On Taiwan’s Migration Regime since the 1990s
Introduction Taiwan first opened the borders for Southeast Asian migrant workers in 1989 and institutionalized their recruitment three years later.
Against Labour Law Reforms
Editor’s Note: To get themselves out of economic stagnation and crisis, governments across Asia have been trying to push through
The Promise and Predicament of Labor Formalization for Women
Book Review: Informal Women Workers in the Global South: Policies and Practices for the Formalization of Women’s Employment in Developing
Capital’s Repressive Apparatus: Privatised Violence Against Labour in Indonesia
In Indonesia, predatory alliances of politicians and businesses were established during the 32-year New Order era under Soeharto and survived
Unravelling the Hidden Underpinnings of Capitalism: revisiting labour regimes and value chains in globalised production
What are the analytical tools with which we can best understand the changing organisation of work in globalised production? This review essay revisits and contextualises critical concepts such as labour regime and value chains as discussed in two recent outstanding publications.
How Urbanizing the Population Deepened China’s Rural-Urban Divide in Migrant Schooling
As China urbanizes, its system of household registration, hukou, continues to exacerbate social, economic and educational inequalities for rural migrant workers and their children.
From Associational to Institutional Power: the Case of Platform Workers in the Philippines
Grab Philippines, Respect Our Rights! Recognise Our Union and Negotiate With Us! rang in Angeles City during the public launch
Building Power Through Associations: Experience of Grab Drivers in Malaysia
In Malaysia, where the number of vehicles outnumbers the human population and has one of the highest car ownership rates in the world, traffic congestion and mobility are plaguing issues.
Stories from Below: Organic Leaders and Dilemmas of Grassroots Organizing in Thailand
Researchers have increasingly recognized the potential of self-organizing activities among gig workers such as couriers and food delivery riders. Nevertheless,
Horizons of Labor Organizing in Post-Coup Myanmar: Grab Riders on Strike
At midnight on 14 March 2022, Grab Myanmar announced that it was reducing food delivery drivers’ pay from 800 MMKs
“Mercedes in Two Years?” Grab Workers’ Mounting Discontent and Wildcat Strikes in Vietnam
In a country in which traditional motorbike services, colloquially known as xe om, are a popular mode of transport, Grab
Resistance is Possible: Lives of Grab Workers in Indonesia
Some analysts of the platform-based gig economy have argued that the potential of gig workers to resist their exploitation is low. I want to show the opposite: it is not only possible to organise drivers to resist precarity - it is already happening.