ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we recognize the limitations in defining SMU as a “model” of unionism and point out that different contextual political and economic conditions apply in the different areas of the world, including the historical relationship between the state and institutional unions. Rather than a toolkit of tactics, SMU should be considered part of a larger transformative vision of the unions in which coalition building, mobilization strategies and internal democratic processes are central towards its goals. In addition, rather than seeing the new demands from the “new” social movements as a “threat” to the supposed unity of the working class, as many IR scholars tend to do, SMU should be rethought to embrace the multiplicity of demands as a material condition of the “new” working classes. Based on our research, we emphasize the importance of union strategic renewal that considers innovative democratic forms of participation, decision-making, leadership development and empowerment of the rank and file, taking into account the intersectional identities of today’s workforce.
