International labour and the global financial crisis : chained and unchained?

Analyses of the current global financial crisis have concentrated upon the origins of the crisis, the fluctuations and perceived recovery of financial markets, and the responses of governments to the crisis. The effects of the financial crisis on labour internationally have received little attention beyond the compilation of statistics on growing unemployment rates. Although the crisis is ongoing, this paper attempts to examine some of the initial responses of labour to the global economic meltdown, as well as the implications of the crisis for the world's migrant workers.