In Aotearoa New Zealand, rights we now consider fundamental – minimum wages, the 40-hour week, workplace safety standards, and equal pay – were hard-won through decades of union struggle. These victories didn't come from charity or goodwill; they came from working people organising together and demanding change.

Today, while global wealth reaches unprecedented levels, more than 400 million workers across Asia and the Pacific are denied these basic rights. They face dangerous conditions, poverty wages, and precarious employment that leaves them unable to meet their families' essential needs for education, healthcare, and secure housing.

Individual actions cannot dismantle the systems that perpetuate this exploitation. Real change comes when working people build their collective power through unions and worker-led organisations, and when communities develop strong, informed leadership. By standing together with skilled leaders, they can effectively challenge injustice, negotiate fair agreements, and advocate for policies that protect everyone.

This is the foundation of UnionAID's approach: we support both immediate labour struggles and long-term capacity building. Our international union projects provide resources and solidarity to worker-led movements fighting for structural change. Simultaneously, our Young Leaders Programmes equip emerging community leaders from Myanmar, Indonesia, Mindanao, Cambodia and Laos with skills in democratic processes, human rights, sustainable development, and collective organising – creating networks of change-makers who will shape their communities for generations to come.

Together, these complementary strategies address both urgent workplace issues and the deeper social conditions that enable exploitation. We believe that lasting change requires both strong unions and skilled community leaders working in solidarity across borders.

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