Are global trade unions the shape of things to come?

We are in the first stages of a new world order. Globalisation is on the agenda for both businesses and trade unions, but for different reasons.

The UK’s biggest union, Unite, recently announced its merger with one of the largest US trade unions, USW. Although there have been international networks of trade unions before – Union Network International, for example, boasts 15 million members worldwide through union affiliations – this is the first big intercontinental merger of its kind. It’s a significant step by the labour movement towards confronting what it sees as the evils of corporate globalisation.