ECONOMIC GLOBALISATION AND WORKERS: INTRODUCTION

This dossier deals with the impact of economic globalisation on workers, especially in developing nations: their employment opportunities, wage income, job security and other aspects of decent work (ILO 1999, 2002). This is a highly relevant theme. Not only do workers in the EU, the United States and other prosperous parts of the world fear the low wages in Asian and Eastern European economies, but workers in developing and transition countries also fear losing their jobs and incomes as a result of neo-liberal policies increasing the exposure of domestic firms to the competitive strength and power of EU, US or ASEAN based multinationals. The main question for this dossier is therefore whether economic globalisation can work out positively for workers, especially in developing nations.