The information reports about EPZs in South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. At the same time this book pays due attention to the experiences of countries like Scandinavia, Canada and Japan. The book also looks at the law with regard to groups working in increasing numbers of the fringes of society - children and migrant workers. These nine articles were all written before the Asian Financial Crisis had its full blown effect felt. Yet the issues and suggestions that were raised concerning employment policies and labour rights protection are useful to the Asian regions.
Countries covered includes China, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, etc.
One particular chapter compare the foreign labour policies of Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand. The emphasis is placed, not on the weakness and suffering of Thai workers, but on their potential and actual strengths in determining the future of society. There is a chapter on women workers which discusses sexuality, a chapter on bank workers as part of the working class and also an anthropological profile of 8 rank and file working class activists. They could decisively influence transnational companies' labour practices, the spread of Japan's employment model, and world-wide campaigns for labour rights. Yet their international policies and activities remain largely unknown.