AMRC is an independent NGO, which focuses on Asian and Pacific labour concerns. The Centre provides information, research, publishing, training, labour networking and related services to trade unions, pro-labour groups, and other development NGOs in the region. AMRC’s main goal is to support democratic and independent labour movements in Asia and the Pacific. In order to achieve this goal, AMRC upholds the principles of workers’ empowerment and gender consciousness, and follows a participatory framework.
We believe that the following conditions will help workers to become truly empowered:
Workers must have access to information, tools, and skills, as well as opportunities for the exchange of experiences and ideas.
Men and women must work together as equal partners.
The international solidarity of workers must be strengthened.
Workers’ perspectives and alternatives must be articulated and translated into action; including education and training programmes, campaigns, and other organising strategies.
Core labour standards must be a priority: freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of forced labour; abolition of child labour; and abolition of discrimination at work. Labour - particularly women, temporary, migrant, home-workers and casual workers - must not suffer any form of discrimination.
AMRC’s Position and Identity
AMRC is a regional organisation serving Asian labour by providing support, networking and intermediary functions to reinforce and facilitate workers’ effectiveness in labour advocacy. Being an intermediate body and not a mass-based nor a frontline organisation, AMRC has been able to provide services to the following:
Grassroots NGOs concerned with women workers, labour issues, and development activists within the labour movement;
Labour organisations specialising in areas such as education and training, health and safety, and labour rights;
NGOs in developed countries and international organisations concerned with labour rights and labour standards in Asia;
Organisations requesting information on specific countries or industries for the purpose of raising public awareness of labour issues in Asia; and
NGOs seeking North-South or South-South collaboration in research projects, monitoring, information exchange, and the analysis and sharing of experiences on organising.
AMRC is involved in the following areas:
- Research
- Networking and Advocacy
- Training
- Consultation
- Information
- Documentation
- Publication
- Internship
AMRC focuses on the following 5 themes both thematic and geographical. They are as follows:
Asian Trans-National Corporations Project
Although consumer-based campaigns brought some positive contributions to the improvement of working conditions in sweatshops in Asia, we believe that the empowerment of workers eventually guarantees sustainability in improving workers’ living conditions. Focus on Asian Transnational Corporations is important because it is in the ATNCs where workers are employed and attempt to organise themselves. AMRC’s ATNC monitoring is designed to compensate workers’ self-organisation by working with workers through our interactive research, education and training, publication and actions. To do so, AMRC is working together with 9 labour organisations in 8 different countries in Asia while our 5 sub-regional researchers in East, South, South East, China and Central America are collecting wide range of information about the activity of ATNCs. http://daga.dhs.org/atnc/blog/index.htm
Labour Law
This project focuses on the emerging labour trends in the Asia Pacific region in the wake of new neo liberal policies adapted by almost all Asian countries. AMRC brings out a regular publication on the Labour Laws in the Asia Pacific Region and its effect on the working class in the region. AMRC organizes various workshops on labour laws and its implementation for the betterment of the workers.
Occupational Health and Safety
This programme is aimed to address the serious occupational health and safety concerns in the Asia Pacific region. The programme has a two fold approach; at one level we focus on elimination or reduction of the hazard at the workplace and on the other hand we focus on the problems that occupational accident and disease victims face and the means to address those problems. Our activities include research, training, campaigns and publications and our target group includes trade unions, labour NGOs and other workers or victims’ groups. We believe that effective participation of workers at all levels in any OHS programme is the key to its success.
China
This is a geographic project and focuses on various important labour issues inside China. This project consists of all other themes viz ATNC, OHS and labour law. Besides these themes China project also focuses on migrant workers, laid off workers and sex workers. The working strategy includes research, training, networking, campaign and publications.
Asian Labour Update
ALU is a quarterly newsletter which examines labour issues and current events in the Asia-Pacific region from workers' perspectives. It provides information and analysis of issues and stories that are not covered thoroughly by the mainstream media. Sources for articles are workers' organisations: national, regional, and international labour groups and trade unions; academics; and development organisations.
To contact us:
Asia Monitor Resource Centre
Flat 8- B
Tsang Cheung Building
444-446 Nathan Road
Yaumatei
Kowloon
HONG KONG SAR
T- (852) 2332-1346
F – (852) 2385-5319
Email – admin@amrc.org.hk
Website - http://www.amrc.org.hk
Orders:
Books can be ordered online using all major credit cards from our Website at http://www.amrc.org.hk. To pay by US dollar cheque: cheques should be made payable to "Asia Monitor Resource Centre Ltd." Or request an invoice from: Asia Monitor Resource Centre
