The ASEAN Services Employees Trade Unions Council (ASETUC) founded on 27th March 2007 is a network of trade unions in the ASEAN region to formulate and
implement a consolidated trade union response to the fast moving development in ASEAN.

ASETUC’s Objectives
1. ASETUC aim to anticipate and identify emerging trends and concerns in the liberalization of services under the ASEAN Economic Blueprint.
2. ASETUC aim to identify and promote best practices among ASEAN-based employers in order to give them due recognition.
3. ASETUC aim to promote harmonious and cooperative relations between workers and employers in the ASEAN through meaningful social dialogue.
4. ASETUC aim to propagate the social partnership approach to union-employer relationship in order to promote decent work, productivity and competitiveness.
5. ASETUC aim to actively engage its member-unions to adopt the philosophy of social partnership and social dialogue that recognize common interests of employers and employees in shaping the ongoing regional integration process.

ASETUC Membership
ASETUC membership shall be composed by the unions representing service sector employees in the ASEAN countries and with agreement, other trade unions.

ASETUC Management Board
The ASETUC Management Board shall be composed of:
• Chairperson,
• Deputy Chairperson,
• ASETUC General Secretary,
• Deputy ASETUC General Secretary
• and up to eight Vice Chairpersons

Chairmanship shall revolve among the representatives of the ASEAN countries to be nominated by the ASETUC member unions in the respective ASEAN country. To be in line with the ASEAN practice of appointing the host country for the Annual Leaders Summit, UNI TLC Thailand is the Chair the ASETUC Management Board for the year 2008-9 and ASETUC Vietnam will be ASETUC Chair of Management Board for the year 2009-2010.

ASETUC Councils
• Construction Employees’ Unions Council
• Forestry Workers’ Employees’ Council
• Financial Employees’ Unions Council
• Commerce Employees’ Unions Council
• Postal and Logistic Employees’ Unions Council
• Telecommunications Employees’ Unions Council
• Graphical Employees’ Unions Council
• Women Employees’ Council
• Young Employees’ Council
• Occupational Health and Safety Council

Each council is composed by 10 titular and 10 substitute members representing each of the 10 ASEAN countries. The titular and substitute members for each country are nominated by ASETUC member unions. ASETUC member unions representing the particular sector nominate their representative for the Sector Councils. ASETUC Secretariat to be composed by a General Secretary, a Deputy General Secretary and ten Assistant General Secretaries. The ASETUC member unions in each of the ASEAN countries shall appoint an Assistant General Secretary. The General Secretary and the Deputy General Secretary are nominated by the ASETUC member unions.

ASETUC’s Activities
ASETUC is currently deeply involved in three major concerns:
• the trade liberalization under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS),
• labour migration and the rights of migrant workers, and
• the ASEAN Framework Instrument on the Promotion and Protection of Migrant Workers and; occupational safety and health (OSH).

Since its formation in March 2007 the ASEAN Service Employee Trade Union Council (ASETUC) has made major progress in positioning as a labour partner of the ASEAN and the emergent civil society movement in the region. Several remarks on ASETUC’s journey:

• Completed an initiative research studies about "ASEAN Economic Integration and its Impacts on Workers and Trade Unions" in Finance-, Healthcare- and Construction-Sectors.
• Presented the research findings to Member-Trade Unions and ASEAN bodies on 23 – 24 October in Bangkok, Thailand. The conference established tripartite dialogue on ASEAN level among Trade Unions, Employers’ Organizations and Labour Ministers, which successfully gain the support from ASEAN.