Trade Union Action in the EU and MERCOSUR: Limits and Challenges (Abstract)

Hermes Augusto Costa

This article focuses on the discussion of the limits and challenges faced by trade union action within the European Union (EU) and the Common Market of South America (MERCOSUL). Although the different degrees of consolidation of these regional blocs may translate into distinct union practices, the author suggests that it is possible to find some symmetries in what concerns the difficulties faced by trade unionism in both spaces. The text also presents a review of the principal social stages of each bloc, and, following the presentation of the major challenges faced by European and MERCOSUR unionism, puts forward some proposals for trade union cooperation that involve Portuguese and Brazilian unionism.