ABSTRACT
When thinking about transnational trade unionism, we often have the image of union representatives in Brussels or Geneva working for either global union federations (GUFs) or some other type of supranational trade union organisation dealing with global issues and actors. We rarely consider work-place union representatives, who typically handle grievances and solve workers’ daily problems, as transnational activists. Yet these workplace reps are often involved in transnational action and can play a pivotal role in shaping international campaigns and cross-border actions. They are located in the intersection between the local and the global and can act as brokers who bridge these different levels and who can frame local issues in a wider perspective and transpose international issues on to the local agenda (Tarrow 2005). The purpose of this chapter is to understand how workplace trade unionists move in and out of transnational space to fulfill local needs and objectives.
