Blog post 1- challenges of the international trade union movement

Hi everyone, in my first blog post I am going to discuss the major challenges trade unions on an international level face.

The underlying factor in the loss of trade union strength can be attributed to globalisation. The great leaps in technology, communication and transport has enabled globalisation to proceed at an extremely fast pace leading to a shift of power from government to companies (most of which are the MNC's we spoke of this week!). This power comes from the fact that companies can take themselves international, thus avoiding national level political and trade union pressure (as nation states cannot control international capital).


1) There is a lack of vision for the future: trade unionists must look back to bottom up trade unionism and consider the formulation of demands and practices to be put in place at least on a continental level.

2) Power has been lost at a global level: loss during the economic crisis (especially in Europe) and also due to mass unemployment, mounting inequalities between countries and differences in trade-union cultures. International union networks must be built up.

3) The loss of power has lead to a loss of influence: in particular on the United Nations, the International Labour Organisation and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

4) The loss of members in Europe means that trade union membership relies on emerging economies: unstable and unpredictable

5) The increase in migrant labour requires a change in union organisation

This information all indicates that a third way approach to unionism may be appropriate. Trade unions will be able to draw upon a set of best practises from previous struggles, but the need for adaptation on a global scale is evident. International campaigns , an example being the soccer world cup, are highly visible international trade union solidarity campaigns. These campaigns have resulted in better working conditions and also growing trade union membership!