Trade Unions Need New Strategies

Details: Published on Thursday, 17 September 2020 03:46; Written by editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2195 ... September 17, 2020
___________________________________________________

Trade Unions Need New Strategies

Asbjørn Wahl

Trade unions are on the defensive all over the world, under immense pressure from strong economic and political forces. We are facing a multiplicity of crises. Employers are attacking on all fronts, and the pandemic is being used as an excuse further to undermine unions, wages and working conditions.

Since the neoliberal offensive began around 1980, we have experienced an enormous shift in the balance of power, from labour to capital. In spite of that, large parts of the trade union movement have continued to cling to the ideology of social partnership -- with social dialogue as its main method of influence -- which, in the current situation, is proving counterproductive.

A growing number of unions are however realising that we are in a critical situation and that we have to take bold new steps toward confronting our adversaries. We have to reform our unions, to turn them into more effective instruments and to prepare them better for the confrontations to come.