an exploration of the ideolody of Hyman
the search for globalisation of the movement. The initial problem that organisations must face is their existing beliefs. Beliefs tend to be strongly embedded within an institution. The transformation Hyman believes necessary will not be achieved unless a complete overhaul of existing trade union beliefs can be accomplished. Additional challenges to the globalisation of trade unions include the varying degrees of intelligence of trade union officials, and their ability to envisage the globalisation of the movement. Unions have traditionally undertaken differing policies so it will be necessary for them to consider if globalisation is a concept they wish to pursue. Such a decision will be affected by the resources available to accomplish it and the level of trust that can be fostered between union members in different countries. Finally, European organisations have traditionally been restricted by their inability to be a powerful influence on trans-national capital and decision makers, or even to reflect the opinions of those they are said to in theory represent.
Hyman believes the solution to these problems lies with the issue of trade union intelligence. This is created by the formation of a strategic alliance coupled with democratic activism. This will require vast enhancement of the scope for initiative and the mobilization of opinion from the heart of the movement. Strong support structures from centralised sources will be necessary and participation by the grass roots is vital. The enhanced capacity and organic solidarity of organisations will demand high multi-directional discussion, communication and understanding. To be effective on an international level, trade unions must draw on experience at a national level to allow for progression towards a networked approach.
One question continually addressed by Hyman is that of how global the trade union movement can really become. Castells (2000) argues that there has been a death of distance, but the problem with labour is that it is a vastly different resource than, for example, goods. There are many additional problems to contend with, such as language barriers, mobility costs, cultural differences and probably the most potent of all in contemporary society, xenophobia.
According to the Dutch philosopher Vos (1986), trade unions are increasingly being sidelined on the global stage. The Fordist-type exploitation of third world labour in countries such as Indonesia is an example of this. Within a European context we now have over eight hundred European Works Councils, but only a handful of these, for example Danone, actually have negotiating powers. Hyman states that globalisation of the trade union movement is becoming increasingly possible with developments in communications media. He cites the example of the Liverpool Dockers who used the Internet to globalise their cause and gain worldwide recognition. However, despite this example, which we believe is limited to the facts of that particular case, we feel that the potential for trade unions to utilise emerging technologies such as the Internet, falls well short of Hyman’s expectations. Online collective bargaining is very far away. The major [next page]