Formal and Informal Regulation of Labour Disputes in Southeast Asia

Centre Member: John Howe

The project is investigating the formal and informal mechanisms of collective labour dispute resolution in three Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The project is based on the important observation that formal (state-based) labour laws and institutions often play only a limited role in these countries. That is to say, Southeast Asian legal systems, and state-based labour law and industrial relations systems more specifically, are generally characterised by limited effectiveness,
while non-state regulation and the activities of unofficial actors may complement, substitute or conflict with the law.