Unions in Asia-Pacific call for sustainable worker centric industrial policies

This year's Asia-Pacific (AP) regional thematic meeting on 4 November and executive committee meeting on 3 November focused on sustainable industrial policy. Union leaders expressed the urgency to advocate for sustainable industrial policies in the region as the challenges for working people and trade unions are expected to grow further as the world undergoes energy transition.

Discussions in the AP executive committee examined challenges in the world of work together with the curtailment of democracy in many of the countries in the region, making it difficult for unions to engage in social dialogue with their governments. Union leaders from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Indonesia gave detailed accounts of massive labour rights' violations and also of union action taken to counter government attacks on workers' rights.

IndustriALL vice president and co-chair of the region, Akihiro Kaneko, said:

"The 2024 elections in many countries in the region have had a major impact on workers. We must continue the social dialogue with governments and push for our demands. The massive protests in Bangladesh led to a change of government. We have to keep up the fight to safeguard and advance workers' rights: To achieve our goals, we need to organize more."

IndustriALL assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan, South Asia regional secretary, Ashutosh Bhattacharya, and South East Asia regional secretary Ramon Certeza, presented reports on actions and campaigns, as well as on IndustriALL's 4th Congress in 2025.

AP women's committee co-chair Jenny Kruschel briefed participants gender mainstreaming in IndustriALL's statutes and action plan. She also commended the global youth ad hoc working group's efforts to increase young women's participation and supported their inclusion as observers on IndustriALL's Executive Committee.

Youth representatives gave an update on activities and appealed to affiliates for support in increasing youth representation and ensuring diverse integration within affiliates and across all levels of IndustriALL structures.

IndustriALL's co-chair for Asia-Pacific, Prihanani Boenadi, said:

"We must ensure greater participation of women and youth in our union structures. They are the future of the trade union movement, and we need to include their voices in our agenda."

In the thematic meeting on sustainable industrial policy, union leaders shared concerns that despite the increasing investment in manufacturing industries, workers are suffering more than ever from skyrocketing inflation, stagnant wages, precarious work and growing attacks on workers' rights. Leaders stressed that these challenges are expected to further grow as the world undergoes energy transition.

Giving an overview of different aspects of industrial policy, as well as IndustriALL's campaigns on the issue, Kemal Özkan said:

"Challenging the existing system is not enough; we must also come up with solutions for a fair and just world. One is developing sustainable industrial policies with workers' interest at the core. We must chart out a plan and execute at all levels- global, regional and national."

During the panel discussions on securing workers' rights in global supply chains and enhancing safeguard mechanisms in trade agreements to advance workers' rights, union leaders from India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan and Australia spoke about the situation of trade and manufacturing industries in their respective countries. Issues of taxation, clauses on workers' rights in trade agreements, transparency in supply chains, ratification of ILO's core labour standards, and holding multinational companies accountable through various legislations, were discussed.

Participants expressed the need to campaign for sustainable industrial policies at national levels, and decided to form a regional platform on trade to exchange information and develop joint strategies.