LAUSR

Industrial action in export processing zones challenges the conventions of labour protest. Labour relations in domestic and foreign direct investment enterprises in industrial parks and export processing zones in Ho Chi Minh City were researched in 2018, with findings that divide into two areas of interest: (a) the ways ‘innovation’ in the economy has affected changes for the subjects involved in labour relations; (b) with strikes being a manifestation of conflict in labour relations, after a period of sharp increase (2011), there has been a decreasing number in recent years, but with changing characteristics. In particular, when a strike occurs now, the trade union which used to be the unique legal representative of all Vietnamese employees is less often favoured, and others are chosen by the employees to negotiate with the business owner. This trend will perhaps be formalized as Vietnam implements international labour–trade union commitments recently adopted.