Welcome
If you are looking to learn about labour organising, strategy, history and journalism in Asia, Asian Labour School is for you.
What is Asian Labour School?
In September 2024, we are launching the Asian Labour School.
We are establishing the Asian Labour School to contribute to Asia’s labour movement infrastructure. By offering an array of courses on critical movement skills and knowledge, our aim is to cultivate a new generation of workers, activists and students to revitalise mass, democratic and radical labour movements in Asia.
The School is for anyone interested in learning to become more effective organisers, or expanding their knowledge of Asian labour movements. We combine skills and knowledge from the movement and in research to help participants to become historically and theoretically informed of our movement.
How are the Courses Taught?
The Asian Labour School consists of two semesters: from March to May, and from September to November each year.
Each course consists of 6 sessions, each session 1.5-hour long and delivered every two weeks over a 12-week period. The class size will be limited to ensure the best learning experience.
The courses will be delivered online on Zoom in the evening times in Asia, and the language of instruction is English.
Completion of a course may involve a class project that demonstrates the students’ learning, but no examination will be required.
How to Register for a Course?
We teach a variety of courses on practical and organising skills, history, and theory of labour in Asia. In the first, Sept-Dec 2024 Semester, we will be offering 4 courses: “Writing Workers Stories”, “Labour, Power and Strategies”, “Secrets of Successful Organisers” and “Worker Struggles across Asia in the 21st Century“.
Please take a look at the course descriptions, and register for one or any number of the courses. Class size is generally limited to 10-15 participants. Acceptance is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Registration for the Sept-Nov 2024 Semester ends on Sept 9, 2024. Semester starts on Sept 16, 2024.
How Much Does it Cost?
We do not make a profit from the School, and keep the operational costs to a minimum. To make the School sustainable and justly compensate for the labour of the course facilitators to prepare and teach the courses, we charge a fee for each course.
We aim to keep the fees to an affordable level and offer two tiers of fees, depending on your ability to pay. For regular fee, each course is USD$60; for students/workers/unemployed who cannot afford the regular fee, each course is USD$40. You can choose either option at the time of registration. The course fee is non-refundable.
Who are the Co-Convenors?
The Asian Labour School is co-convened by Chie Matsumoto, Kriangsak Teerakowitkajorn and Kevin Lin.
Chie Matsumoto is a journalist and an organizer based in Japan, and reports on labour, gender and other social justice issues for print and online media both in Japanese and English. She organizes workers in Japan’s newspapers and news agencies. She is a founding member of the media cooperative Unfiltered.
Kriangsak Teerakowitkajorn is the founder and director of the Just Economy and Labor Institute based in Bangkok. He co-produces and co-hosts the podcast “The Continent of Resistance”. He has collaborated with labour activists and organisations across Asia, with a commitment to empowering workers and building collective strength within the labour community.
Kevin Lin is the Managing Editor of Asian Labour Review. He writes about labour struggles in China and Asia, and is interested in building international labour solidarity. He is a co-author of China in Global Capitalism: Building International Solidarity Against Imperial Rivalry (Haymarket 2024)
