The Trade Union Internationalism in the Age of Seattle (Abstract)

Peter Waterman

Recognising that labour is in profound crisis worldwide, this text proposes a critique of the union internationalism of the national/industrial/colonial era and a reconceptualisation of unionism and labour internationalism appropriate to a globalised/networked/informatised capitalist era. It also discusses the millennial dialogue on labour and globalisation, one of the new academic approaches to international labour/labour internationalism, and the role of communication, culture and the new information and communication technology. The conclusion stresses the centrality of networking, communication and dialogue to the creation of a new labour internationalism.