Documents McGuire, Donna 2 results

"The substantial and increasing encroachment of trade agreements into almost every aspect of economic and social life make it imperative for trade unions to engage in trade policy and agreement making processes, not just at the international but also at the national level. However, union staff frequently lack knowledge, not only about the substantive issues related to trade, but also about the trade policy process within their own country. This research project, initiated by the Global Labour University (GLU), is an attempt to address this gap by undertaking a comparative analysis of trade union capacity to influence trade policies at the national level. The analysis draws on case studies from a wide spectrum, ranging from developed and newly industrialised to developing countries. A framework drawn from social movement theory is used to reveal how differences in the political opportunity structure available within each country impacts on the strategic choices available to unions, and also, how trade policy processes and unions' own organisational structures and dynamics impact on their capacity to mobilise resources for action against trade liberalisation. Great variation is found in the countries studied, both in terms of political opportunity structure and in terms of trade union capacity. In very few cases do unions have both institutional opportunity to intervene in trade policy processes and sufficiently developed policy expertise and mobilising capacity to take advantage of such opportunity. However, the research also shows that institutional opportunity is not static and unions can have an impact on trade policy and negotiations, even where they have limited access and capacity."

"Given their global dimension and centrality to late modern capitalist development mega sports events like the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup can provide space for public discussion about the impact of globalisation and the opportunity for union revitalisation. This paper examines the activities of selected German unions and civil society organisations, both in the lead up to and during the FIFA World Cup in Germany 2006, in order to determine the extent to which unions were able to utilise such opportunities for long-term strategic gains. Following an overview of the development and growth of mega sports events and the specifics of the German industrial situation, the actions of selected German unions are assessed; using union revitalisation categories as a tool, for examining the strategic processes used by these unions and to point to some areas of future potential. As this assessment shows, attempts by German unions to use the World Cup for long-term strategic gains were exceptional, rather than the general practice. In part this can be attributed to the time-frame in which the World Cup was held; the underdeveloped nature of the union revitalisation debate in Germany at the time and the specifics of the German union situation. At the same time, the power of the interest groups involved in mega sports events, the complexity of the relationships, and the level of resources needed by unions to conduct strategic campaigns and political action should not be underestimated."