Labour-management relationships in transition: Convergence or divergence in Vietnam and Indonesia

This paper explores the different paths taken by Vietnam and Indonesia towards a modem industrial relations system, with its concomitant positive and adverse consequences. In so doing, it examines the similar and different influences which have led to the transition from unitarism to pluralism in labour-management relations in both countries, and questions whether this reflects convergence towards the predominant Western model or the accommodation of Western frameworks within divergent Asian legacies and traditions. It also analyses the different ways in which both countries have arrived at a common stage of development in labour-management relations.