the network››
 As a phenomenon, new unionism» was not invented by us!! There have been two historical movements of that name, as well as a recent project in the UK. The UK experience showed that the art lay in bringing organizing and engagement together in such a way that they complemented and recreated each other (hence the Escher drawing above.) This is not a phenomenon which can be just slipped into a collective agreement. If it's not real at the workplace level, in the day-to-day culture, then it's not real at all.
Unfortunately most of the current debate about union strategies at international level are happening in industrial relations journals, impenetrable textbooks, between seething factions, and behind closed doors. Not much filters back, and when it does it is heavily obscured behind layers of jargon, bureau code and acronyms. In other words those who are most affected - working people - are effectively excluded from the discussion. We want to change that.
We want to bring these ideas out into the mainstream, so that working people can become more involved in setting the agenda, and we want to provide working people with tools that will help them network internationally themselves.
The workforce is being globalized. We believe that the best response to this is to make sure workers get involved, and to ensure that it happens more on their terms. Hence the fourth of our key principles: internationalism.
Please be aware that new unionism» is a network, not an organisation. We do not have formal meetings, special task-forces, triennial congresses, steering committees, nor annual conferences. We do not decide on collective policies, nor do we elect network officials. We do not run collective lobbies, nor across-the-board campaigns. This is what trade unions are for! And that is why we have set up a project (Younionize) to help workers find an join an appropriate union.
What membership involves:
 You can jump in and out of our forums (eg coffee break, new unionism, what next, new music), or create one of your own... which can be open to all members or invitation-only.
You can engage in dialogue with people in other countries working in the same job or sector as you, or dealing with similar issues and problems.
You can subscribe to free email magazines, including a recommended selection from other organisations and our own weekly newswire and bi-monthly round-up of news and developments in this field.
You can receive notifications of work in the union movement and/or progressive NGOs.
You can also use our tools to develop your own networks, operating across borders, finding allies, learning new approaches, and sharing your experiences of struggle and change. To find out more about this aspect of newunionism» contact mynetwork@newunionism.net.
For those who want to look more deeply at these issues, we are compiling a list of documents in our online library.
On the right we look at the 4 principles of new unionism. As you will see, it is not about mastering a new formula, it is about people coming together and networking for change.
That is why we do not see new unionism» as a "demand" so much as a work in progress. It is a movement which is being defined in both practice and theory, and that that is why, more than anything else, we are hoping you will join us.
This is about you in the workplace. This is about the day to day; the now into the future. As Studs Terkel put it:
"This is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor, in a sort of life, rather than a Monday-through-Friday sort of dying".
For a deeper analysis of the roots of New Unionism and its prospects, email library@newunionism.net and we will send you a discussion paper by founding member Dr Conor Cradden.
* Although we are a network, with all the flexibility and informality this implies, please note that we are also registered as a non-profit company. This step was taken simply for administrative purposes... ie we had to do it in order to open a bank account and collect/process donations and Visa payments etc. Click here for a copy of the Memorandum of Association or here for the Certificate of Incorporation.
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4 key principles 
1. Organizing
 The union movement has had a long debate about "servicing versus organizing". This was particularly heated
throughout the 1980s and 1990s. According to the servicing model, union representatives are staunch, necessary folk who appear in the workplace whenever they were called, and deal with disputes in such a way that others are convinced that they, too, should join. They also offer great rates on insurance, tyres, travel and accommodation.
According to the organizing model, the union itself exists primarily in the workplace... in the largest sense that can be practically achieved. It lives and breathes at work, in the form of the members themselves, including their elected representatives. The union, as an external force, exists primarily to support their work, and to deliver the skills and tools workers need. Thus what concerns workers the most becomes (or should become) the central priority for the union. This may be pay, workplace culture, health and safety, or even just the basic right to join and build a collective voice.
In most unions the argument for the organizing model won hands down. But how does one transfer the effective heart of unionism into the workplace? This has been immensely challenging. It has led many unions to examine their priorities. Bureaucratism is giving way. What about scholarly policy documents? Optional retirement schemes? There is so much good work being done in these areas, yet how come we still haven't worked out what to do about seasonal, contract and/or temporary workers?? How can everything be changed so that it contributes to building the influence of working people?
Many unions stood back and watched as these debates were being fought out. However in the late 1990s the results started to speak for themselves. Unions who had shifted their resources into organizing, and weathered the internal debates, were either growing or at least arresting their decline. This pattern has continued for six or seven years now, but more recently still there has been a subtle shift. Organizing, yes. But organizing for what?
2. Workplace Democracy
 During roughly the period as the rise of the organizing model, some unions began to discuss models of economic democracy and workplace reform. Some were involved in developing tripartite structures for "social dialogue" with the government and employers, although often these generally didn't reach very deeply into workplace life. More and more, unions were urged by their members to broaden the agenda - to engage with employers and governments on a wider range of issues, such as workplace culture, organisational reform and industrial restructuring. Some unions saw this as collaboration (in the negative sense of the word). The word "partnership" was at the centre of endless, fruitless arguments. While this went on studies continued to come out, showing that working people have a strong desire for an independent, collective voice in the workplace. They want real involvement in decision-making processes.
This coincides with changes in production methods which suggest that management must engage the intelligence (not just the time and the muscle) of their workforce. Should unions step aside from this? Or should they actively engage in the new role which is appearing for them? Difficult questions regarding the aspirations and goals of unionism were raised, but for working people the answer continues to be straightforward: we want influence. The studies show that this does not mean "sweetheart deals", nor is it finely worded consultation clauses. In fact partnership agreements and seats on boards mean nothing unless they help in developing workplace democracy. The unions who have seen this, and have acted upon it, are starting to buzz. In pressing for workplace democracy they are issuing a fundamental challenge to the master- servant relationship. Workplace reps have become actively involved in setting agendas, rather than just responding to them, and members' involvement has become more creative. Union membership figures reflect this. Workplace democracy is something worth organizing for.
3. Creative thinking
 The principles above mean very little in isolation. It is their creative combination which leads us in the direction of new unionism. This is the Work in Progress to which we refer. Unions are moving beyond ideological platforms and tired slogans. Workers have rejected tired formulae resulting from bureaucratism and dogma.
In reasserting themselves as a creative social force, unions face some major obstacles. The influence of the 1920s split and the Cold War still linger, with the development of unionism (particularly in developing countries) often distorted by external manipulations. Many of the movement's divisions result from conflicts we have long since left behind, but rifts do not mend so easily.
Different countries also face problems caused by hostile legislation and government repression. How creative can a unionist be in a country like Colombia, where even the most basic organizing can still get a unionist murdered?
Despite all this, unionism's difficulties can be generalised, and creative thinking can be applied in almost any context.
Too much emphasis on engagement alone (as in the quadrant A above) does not lead to Workplace Democracy. Generally, it leads to the union becoming co-opted. Words like "cosying up" and "selling out " are bandied about sourly by members. Deals appear from behind closed doors. Conditions are eroded; members feel alienated from their union, and often betrayed.
Too much emphasis on organizing alone (as in C above) produces a shallow, angry unionism, where members do little more than react to the employer's agenda. The union feels that its role is to maintain aggression levels, and internal communications centre around tales of employer abuses and tricks.
Too little of both (ie B above) is the worst position of all. Members wonder why they bothered to join up, as the union never does anything. New staff don't join, and management won't listen to the union reps. Why should they?
And D? These are the stories we want to tell you about. Elections for workplace reps (delegate/shop steward) are being actively contested. Workers are developing skills and swapping tasks in line with their abilities. Workplace culture is becoming a matter for negotiation. Health and safety officers look out for bullying, stress or depression, as well as slippery floors. The employer understands that workers have an independent agenda, but (willingly or not) has learned that it is pointless to deny this. Ideas are being sought and heard by both sides, and the union is seen as a major player in the life of the workplace. Membership is on the rise. Things are headed in the direction of workplace democracy.
4. Internationalism
 How can unions transcend their national borders? The world's workforce is being globalized, along with finance and trade. What use is shop floor militancy if it drives production offshore? If we get a good pay rise here, we give a competitive advantage to companies there which pay their workers less. Why do so many people seeing unions as irrelevant in this? Whatever happened to mass branch meetings? And how on earth can wage levels be maintained when the world's workforce has just been swelled by the joint populations of China, Russia, and India... ?
Some unions are engaging globally in an attempt to deal with these issues. A new world federation of unions has been formed. The world's first multinational union is in development. There are ongoing top-table discussions about the direction of "global union federations". Needs-driven "global alliances" are coming together and doing tremendously effective work around selected projects. Unions are negotiating international agreements, ethical guidelines, and/or global codes of conduct.
Some of this corresponds with the principles set out above, but what about the workers?
How many of them are even aware that they are part of the "ITUC" - an organisation which claims to speak for 166 million of them in more than 150 countries? These organisations need and deserve our support, but how?
Working people need to find ways to express solidarity on their own terms, in everyday, concrete forms. A worker being harassed may feel the need to speak with others about coping strategies, as well as speaking to their union about remedies. A sweatshop worker in the Philippines may need to have their story told, though their union has been banned from the premises. A workplace rep may feel totally out of their depth, needing more personal support that their local union official can provide. A union negotiator may be challenged by a pay equity case, and want to know how things work in other countries....
Let's think out loud collectively! Giving and receiving support works best between people with shared experience. That, in a nutshell, is what new unionism is about. And that, in a nutshell, is why we hope you will join us.
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