Working for the federation: Global labour governance and global union federation officials

Abstract

How do global union officials act and interact in the strategic action field of global labour governance? Based on a study of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), and its European regional organisation (ETF), we identify four distinct but overlapping roles - activist, bureaucrat, diplomat and technocrat - that global trade union (GUF) officials exercise, at different times and in different places, to mobilize collective action in pursuit of decent work. The performance of these roles is a function of biography, the internal politics of meta-organizations - GUFs are organizations of organizations - and external interaction with employers, policymakers and other stakeholders. The closure of international governance gaps that adversely affect workers will depend, at least in part, on the action and interaction of GUF officials.

Speaker

Peter Turnbull is Professor of Management & Industrial Relations in the Business School at the University of Bristol (UK). His extensive publications on work and employment relations theory and practice include major studies of different international transport sectors and research for European social partners and the ILO. His most recent research focuses on the different roles of international trade union and ILO officials.