Uniting the Workers

From the BBC:

Britain's biggest union, Unite, is merging with the US-based United Steelworkers union (USW) to create a new "global" union...Mr Simpson also urged other unions, from Poland to Australia, to join Workers Uniting.

Well, this is good news, a genuine international union, based around the practicality of international firms.

Of course, the T&G (a constituent part of Unite) has always had an international flavour, it owes much of the inspiration for its founding to the Knights of Labor working in the trans-atlantic docks.

Such a move is to be greatly applauded, if not copied, and hopefully it will move the politics of unions away from a national capital perspective towards a more clearly worker and class focused agenda - the mere concept of a transnational (albeit English language) union should be enough to start harumphing from the Blimps and put a little shiver of fear up the spines of certain quarters.

Of note, though, just as the British ruling class is trying to decide between Europe and transatlanticism, so too, clearly, have unite. Lets not forget, the ETUC does exist, albeit not to negotiate directly with employers.

The world for the workers?