bottom-of-asean-impact-of-rushed-investment

This discussion paper analyses the impact of rushed investment on labour and migration in Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia and Laos. The paper argues that low wages and labour standards cause many workers to migrate to neighbouring countries, where they suffer further exploitation. This exploitation is often justified by policy-makers and business sectors as “better than the situation in the countries of origin”: workers therefore have no way to escape exploitation at the bottom of the supply chain, whether at home or in destination countries. The report outlines recommendations to improve labour protections and wages for all workers at the bottom of ASEAN.