Reading Group: Labor rights and Labor Movements with Taiwan’s NGO Labor Union

When a group of workers act and speak together, their employer has to listen. That’s the power of unions: they bring people together to improve working conditions, protect rights, and create a fairer workplace. Throughout history, unions have played a pivotal role in securing fundamental workers’ rights, from the eight-hour workday to safer working environments and better wages. Their collective strength has transformed industries and empowered generations of workers to have a voice in shaping their future. Yet, the fight is far from over, as many workers across the world are still struggling to secure basic rights and fair treatment.

Amnesty International Taiwan English Speaking Group and Taiwan Non-Profit Organization Labor Union are co-hosting a reading group for labor rights and labor movements on 11 December. We are not reading one full book this time, instead, you are encouraged to choose one country/region and read some articles/essays about the history and/or stories of labors' struggles there. You can choose from the recommendations below. Or if you find other pieces that you like, feel free to read that and share with us when we meet!

On 11th December we will open the space to discuss the articles and share what we have learnt about labor unions in different countries. We will then invite members of Taiwan Non-Profit Organization Labor Union to share about their experience unionising in Taiwan.

Recommended readings:

History/general (please read at least one of the readings below or find a suitable reading from your country of interest)

• US - Labor Movement (History.com)
• UK - Trade Unions in the British Industrial Revolution (World History Encyclopedia)
• Asia - From Global Factory to Continent of Labour (Asian Labour Review )
• Africa -
• Unity and revitalization of trade unions in Africa (International Journal of Labour Research)
• A History of the Labour Movement in British Colonial Africa: Origins, Organisation, and Struggle (Dr. Daniel Mulugeta)

Today/case studies (please read at least one of the readings below, or find a suitable reading from your country of interest)

• US - What worked and what didn’t: A history of organizing at Starbucks (Organizing work)
• UK - When do strikes work? History shows the conditions need to be right (The Conversation)
• Korea - Korean Labor Movement All-Out against Repression (Asian Labour Review)
• Africa - Colonialism and apartheid stripped black South Africans of land and labour rights – the effects are still felt today (The Conversation)

This event is free to attend and will be hosted in English.

當NGO工作人員在工作上為環境、動物與人權奮鬥；NGO工會關心大家的勞動者權益，也團結大家共同發聲。工會將攜手國際特赦組織台灣分會英文小組，舉辦一場閱讀交流會，一起更認識不同國家的勞工運動歷史與案例。

我們挑選了一些關於不同國家/區域的勞工運動的文章，歡迎從中任選閱讀，也歡迎自行搜尋有興趣的文章與案例，當天與大家分享。這次閱讀交流會將以英文進行，邀請大家一起來跨越國界與語言的界線，認識國際勞工運動。