Working Paper 119

Trade union engagements on the SDGs and union revitalization in five Asian countries

This working paper examines how trade unions in five Asian countries integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into national agendas. Through interviews and reviews, it highlights strategies and outcomes of union engagements, showing their impact on revitalizing institutional power amid challenges like regulatory changes, digital labor platforms, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trade unions play an important role in ensuring that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are integrated into the development agenda and strategies of countries. The findings from in-depth online interviews with trade union officers from seven national labour confederations and senior ILO officials in five Asian countries, complemented by a review of secondary sources, show that, depending on a set of factors, trade unions utilize a variety of strategies in influencing their country’s commitments to and progress on achieving the SDGs. The paper argues that both the strategies and outcomes of the SDG-related engagements of the unions in three of the five countries, which are influenced by several important factors, have contributed, albeit to varying degrees, to their revitalization in terms of the development and strengthening of their power resources, particularly the unions’ institutional power. The paper identifies several ways that trade unions can sustain successful SDG-related initiatives. 

Additional details

Author(s)

  • Melisa R. Serrano
  • Mary Leian C. Marasigan

References

  • ISBN 9789220406120 (print)
  • ISBN 9789220406137 (web PDF)
  • ISBN 9789220406144 (epub)
  • ISBN 9789220406151 (mobi)
  • ISBN 9789220406168 (html)
  • ISSN 2708-3438 (print)
  • ISSN 2708-3446 (digital)

You may also be interested in

Using foresight to think and act upon an uncertain future world of work

Working Paper 118

Using foresight to think and act upon an uncertain future world of work

Imbalances between supply and demand Recent causes of labour shortages in advanced economies

ILO Working Paper 115

Imbalances between supply and demand Recent causes of labour shortages in advanced economies

Digital labour platforms and national employment policies in China: Studying the case of food delivery platforms - mobi

ILO Working paper 99

Digital labour platforms and national employment policies in China: Studying the case of food delivery platforms - mobi

Digital labour platforms and national employment policies in China: Studying the case of food delivery platforms - epub

ILO Working paper 99

Digital labour platforms and national employment policies in China: Studying the case of food delivery platforms - epub