Labour and Globalization: Towards a New Internationalism?

A one-dimensional view of capitalism inevitably leads to the conclusion that labour is in a state of deep crisis. However, if we examine globalization as a contradictory process, then it is possible to regard its relationship with labour as a transformative one. In this context, the decline of trade union density in developed countries and the rise of new forms of trade unionism in selected countries of the South, illustrate the contradictory relationship between labour and capital. In accordance with Marx, capitalist expansion not only does away with old forms of labour organizations, but has the tendency to create new forms of labour resistance. Similarly, Polanyi argues that attempts to disembed the economy (return to free market enterprise) from the rest of society will be resisted by societal forces. (English)