• Younionize» This New Unionism project offers the world's most comprehensive union database, with free union web pages. more»
• Wage Indicator» This outstanding database provides comparative data on pay for about 30 countries. The ILO is now funding a project to extend the service to 75 countries. more»
• Transnational profiles» Transnationale provides info (not all of it free) on more than 11,000 companie. They report on social and environmental behaviour, financial data, list of brands, lobby membership, public relations and "opinion making", manager's name and position, shareholders and subsidiaries, plant locations and offshore centres, brand and corporate image management. more»
• Quality of work in Europe» Eurofound has put together data on industrial relations, working life, social protection and work organisation from about 30 countries in Europe. Most boring place to work? Turkey, by far. Turkey is also the most stressful, followed by Italy. And the highest level of job satisfaction? Denmark. more»
• IPA case studies» The Involvement and Participation Association has put together a fantastic database of industrial case studies from the UK. more»
references
• New Unionism library» Far be it from us to pat ourselves on the back, but this library really does contain some brilliant documents. We can take almost no credit for this, other than the donkey work of hunting them down. Feel free to make submissions to the library via librarian@newunionism.net. more»
• Labor Comparisons» This book of charts from the US Department of Labor provides simple comparisons of labor statistics from Asia, Europe and the Americas. more»
• Labour Statistics» This spreadsheet compiled by the New Unionism network includes country data on trade union membership density, the UNHCR's "Human Development Index", the "Satisfaction With Life" index, average hours worked, gender gap rankings, labour productivity by country, global competitiveness and "ease of doing business" rankings, and corruption perceptions. It's a vital tool for unionists who want to know how their country relates to others from a work-centred perspective. more»
• Country profiles» This resource is a handy starting place for those needing a quick overview of a country, along with some basic facts about the government and the media. more»
• Negotiating on pay» Another well-written guide. This one from Unison is written for the UK context, but contains much that is universal. Your own union may well have a guide of its own, but if not, check this out. Their local bargaining guide is good as well. more»
• Stewards' manual» This manual is written for stewards (aka delegates / workplace reps) in the context of USA law. Remember that! It is an excellent resource for those who are dealing with problems in the workplace. more»
general interest
• Global Workplace» This War on Want - sponsored website is one of a kind. Savvy, sassy: it's a prime resource for people wanting to learn more about the process and the effects of globalisation without getting bored!. In particular, check out their training course.
• Working for America Institute» This union-sponsored organization has become a national leader in the US arguing for "the high road option": partnerships in which workers obtain higher skills and better pay, employers become more successful, and communities become better places in which to live and work. more»
• Global Labour Institute»
A great collection of commentaries from some of the labour movement's most experienced visionaries. Practical thoughts for unionists wrestling with issues like the consequences of globalization, how to organise in the informal economy, working with NGOs etc. more»
• OECD Observer: Labour»
It's hard to know how to categorise this in relation to the union movement, but there is all sorts of data passing through here which are worth knowing about. more»
• The anti-union network»
This well-researched page from American Rights at Work maps the links and names the names in the USA's multi-million dollar union-busting industry. more»
• Gender equity index»
How does your country fare in the gender equity index? A country’s level of wealth does not automatically determine its degree of equity. Rwanda, for instance, comes third after Sweden and Finland, thanks to intensive affirmative action efforts.
• Union Song»
This website is the best we've come across as a reference source for union and workers' songs. more»
• Activists Guide to the Media»
Written by the Guardian's George Monbiot ("it's time to put the demo back in democracy"), this guide is a brilliant reference for those who find themselves frustrated by the shroud of silence which surrounds their work. more»
• Global research contacts» The Global Union Research Network has put together this list of list of research contacts, institutes and organizations, related to the trade union movement. more»
newsletters
• Work in Progress» "Work in Progress" is the New Unionism Network's bi-monthly newsletter. It takes a wide-angle view of the world of unionism, aiming for a maximum two minutes reading, plus links for deeper information. You don't have to be a member, and it's free. Subscribe»
• ILO World of Work» Although it's a fairly beefy number (about 2.5mb), the ILO's World of Work is an authoratative magazine well worth the bandwidth. It comes out 3x per year. more»
• IPA Bulletin» The IPA (Involvement and Participation Association) is a UK-based organisation which helps companies set up or re-establish relationships built on 'win/win' arrangements. They produce some interesting material, including a monthly bulletin which you can access here.
• ETUI Health and Safety» The European Trade Union Institute publishes an excellent health and safety at work newsletter. It only comes out twice a year, but its packed with authorative information and beautifully produced. more»
news & thinks
There are thousands of sites we could include in this list. We are restricting ourselves to those that concentrate on labour and unions, cover stories internationally or at least regionally, and tick over regularly (at least 3 or 4 stories per week). Recommendations and requests for linking can be sent to links@newunionism.net.
• LabourStart»
This is the classic — the prime site for labour-on-the web news. The fact that you have probably heard of it already speaks for itself. more»
• New Unionism»
Our homepage offers a newsfeed and a blog for member contributions. more»
• Union Renewal» This is a fairly new site, but is perhaps just as good as Labourstart for active unionists. more»
• ITUC» The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest umbrella group for national union centres. Until fairly recently it was known as the ICFTU. more»
• EIRO» The European Industrial Relations Observatory carries in-depth studies on working conditions throughout Europe. It's a great resource. Latest findings are generally reported on this page. more»
• Global Respect»
Global Respect, run by the Olof Palme Institute, is a fantastic, free and open Internet study circle which helps you learn about globalisation and its effects, human rights, and places a particular emphasis on workplace rights. more»
• The Political Compass» Don't miss this chance to analyse your political type on a scale more advanced than the traditional left wing / right wing model. This one's a must! more»
• Public speaking»
It's part of every unionist's job, whether they like it or not, and it's often critical to doing the job well. This BBC guide to public speaking is a great place to start if this is an area where you're a bit under-confident. In fact the over-confident would do well to read it too! more»
• Jung-Myers-Briggs test» Thinking of a change of career? Where to next? Another free test - the Jung-Myers-Briggs typology test, is based on the hypothesis that people can be classified using four criteria:
• Extroversion - Introversion
• Sensing - Intuition
• Thinking - Feeling
• Judging - Perceiving
Different combinations of the criteria determine a type.
For example: ISTJ = Introvert Sensing Thinking Judging
This test will tell you your type, strength of the preferences, and description. It may help you to identify strengths and areas that need developing, as well as preparing for similar tests during interviews. more»
• Stress Test» There's a lot of people out there making the best of a bad job. How stressed are you? Can you honestly assess the situation, or are you locked into a series of coping strategies which are slowly letting the job wear you down? Take this test. more»
• Job Satisfaction Test» This free test is pretty simplistic, but in a way the questions are as interesting as the final diagnosis, and might help you to frankly rethink your current position. more»
other tools
• Is your boss a psychopath?»
The standard clinical test for psychopathy, Robert Hare's PCL-R, evaluates 20 personality traits overall, but a subset of eight traits defines what he calls the "corporate psychopath": the nonviolent person prone to the "selfish, callous, and remorseless use of others." Does your boss fit the profile? Find out here»
• Model mode of conduct»
The Workers Rights Consortium has developed this mode of conduct for schools and universities (although it could easily be adapted for unions and other organisations) as the standard they require of licensees. more»
This New Unionism project offers the world's most comprehensive union database, with free union web pages. 
Transnationale provides info (not all of it free) on more than 11,000 companie. They report on social and environmental behaviour, financial data, list of brands, lobby membership, public relations and "opinion making", manager's name and position, shareholders and subsidiaries, plant locations and offshore centres, brand and corporate image management. 
Eurofound has put together data on industrial relations, working life, social protection and work organisation from about 30 countries in Europe. Most boring place to work? Turkey, by far. Turkey is also the most stressful, followed by Italy. And the highest level of job satisfaction? Denmark. 
The Involvement and Participation Association has put together a fantastic database of industrial case studies from the UK. 
Far be it from us to pat ourselves on the back, but this library really does contain some brilliant documents. We can take almost no credit for this, other than the donkey work of hunting them down. Feel free to make submissions to the library via 
This book of charts from the US Department of Labor provides simple comparisons of labor statistics from Asia, Europe and the Americas. 
This resource is a handy starting place for those needing a quick overview of a country, along with some basic facts about the government and the media. 
This manual is written for stewards (aka delegates / workplace reps) in the context of USA law. Remember that! It is an excellent resource for those who are dealing with problems in the workplace. 
"Work in Progress" is the New Unionism Network's bi-monthly newsletter. It takes a wide-angle view of the world of unionism, aiming for a maximum two minutes reading, plus links for deeper information. You don't have to be a member, and it's free.
Although it's a fairly beefy number (about 2.5mb), the ILO's World of Work is an authoratative magazine well worth the bandwidth. It comes out 3x per year. 
The European Trade Union Institute publishes an excellent health and safety at work newsletter. It only comes out twice a year, but its packed with authorative information and beautifully produced. 
