TY - JOUR T1 - Trade union internationalism and political change in Myanmar JF - Global Change, Peace & Security Y1 - 2015 A1 - Henry, Nicholas KW - ILO KW - International Labor Organization KW - international orms KW - Myanmar KW - non-state actors KW - political change KW - trade unions AB -

Networks of trade union activists working as part of the global union movement have played a central role in political change in Myanmar. In response to trade union advocacy, compliance with International Labour Organization (ILO) standards was made a key condition for the lifting of sanctions on Myanmar, leading the current civilian government to pass revised labor laws allowing the formation of independent trade unions. Union activists have taken advantage of this new freedom, with a rapid growth in registration of local union organizations since 2011. Based on recent fieldwork in Myanmar, including interviews with union leaders and ILO officials, this paper presents an empirical analysis of political relationships formed by local and international union organizations in the context of multi-level political change. In this case study of translating international norms into domestic political change, local and international trade union networks are shown to have a significant impact on achieving compliance with international labor standards.

VL - 27 L2 - eng CP - 1 ER -