
ASEAN governments must create a stable political climate where trade unions can organise their own programmes without fear of reprisal
9 March 2018
The OECD organised the Southeast Asia
Ministerial Forum (SEARP) Tokyo Ministerial Conference, which consisted of the
OECD Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum on Thursday, 8 March 2018 and the Steering
Group Meeting of the OECD SEARP on Friday, 9 March 2018.
The ITUC-AP General Secretary, Shoya
Yoshida, spoke in the session “Inclusive ASEAN: Inclusiveness through
participation” of the Forum. “We do have an effective mechanism of
participation: social dialogue and industrial relations. Trade unions are a
crucial institution of fair income distribution through collective bargaining”
said Shoya Yoshida. He continued, “However, many governments still make
excessive interference in trade union registration, and restrict legitimate
activities or even existence of trade unions under national laws”.