Beyond the barriers: new forms of labour internationalism

Concern about working conditions in a global supply chain has brought unions and NGOs in the North around the same table. Collaborative initiatives include campaigns such as the European-wide Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and ethical trade forums, like the UK Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI). Relationships have not always been easy. Unions and NGOs have different ways of working, and there have been insensitivities on both sides. What we see emerging, however, are new forms of labour internationalism which can respond in effective ways to the threat that globalised production poses to workers rights.