On November 11 and 12, 2010, the 2nd Asia-Europe Trade Union Think Tank International Forum, co-convened by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Research Institute, was held in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, with the theme of "Wages and Economic Policies". About 30 delegates from over 10 countries, including 15 institutions such as the International Labour Organization, Global Labour University, European Trade Union Institute, China University of Labor Relations (CULR), Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Research Institute, Trade Union University, Hans Böckler Foundation of Germany, Norwegian Institute for Labour and Social Research, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, attended the forum. Professor Lin Yanling and Dr. Wang Kan from the School of Labor Relations and Human Resources, CULR, and Professor Li Tao from the School of Business Administration, CULR, attended the forum.

The forum was divided into five parts: Collective Bargaining and Minimum Wage: The Impact of Wage Determination Mechanisms; Wage Determination Mechanisms in the Irregular Economy; The Role of Wages in Transitioning to More Sustainable Growth Strategies and Export-Oriented Models (including the Global Wage Report by Frank Hoffer from the International Labour Organization, as well as reports from Japan, Germany, and China); Discussion on the Next Steps of the Asia-Europe Trade Union Forum; and Vietnam's Trade Unions and Labor Relations.

It was the first time for the CULR to attend this international forum. Professor Li Tao gave a keynote speech titled "Rural Surplus Labor Transfer and Wage Change Trends in China" at the forum. Professor Lin Yanling presented a national report titled "Worker Collective Actions and the Establishment of Normal Wage Growth Mechanisms", while Dr. Wang Kan was nominated to join the editorial group for the publication of conference papers. Participants at the forum showed great interest in Chinese migrant workers, labor relations, and trade union issues. This forum has expanded exchanges between the CULR and labor relations think tanks from various countries and fostered friendship among each other.

At the forum, participants agreed that it is necessary to publish a collection of papers, compiling and editing the research papers from the first and second forums as one of the achievements of the Asia-Europe Trade Union Think Tank International Forum. The collection of papers will be published in English with the theme of "Comparative Study on Wage Determination Mechanisms and Minimum Wage Issues in Asia and Europe". The publication of the paper is coordinated by the Hans Böckler Foundation of Germany. The editorial team of the forum is composed of representatives from four participating institutions, namely, the Hans Böckler Foundation of Germany, the CULR, the Policy Research Department of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and the European Trade Union Institute. The forum also decided that the next forum will be held in Oslo, Norway, and be hosted by the Norwegian Institute for Labour and Social Research.

The Asia-Europe Trade Union Think Tank International Forum is jointly planned by four organizations: the Friedrich Ebert Foundation of Germany, the International Labour Organization, the Global Labour University, and the Hans Böckler Foundation of Germany. The first forum was held in Dusseldorf, Germany in October 2009, with the theme of "Comparison of Minimum Wage Policies".

(School of Labor Relations and Human Resources, School of Business Administration)