THE GLOBAL UNION RESEARCH NETWORK: A POTENTIAL FOR INCREMENTAL INNOVATION?1

ne of the current paradoxes for trade unions is that organizing is an essentially local or national affair whilst the most pressing challenge for unions, which is globalization, can only be faced in a global context, i.e. beyond the local and national forums in which trade unions have traditionally focused their action and expertise. Globalization entails several dimensions: the increase of world trade during the 1980s and 1990s, especially in the industrialized world and a few developing countries; an acceleration of Foreign Direct Investment; the rapid integration of financial markets; technological change; and the transboundary integration of national production systems. All of these have resulted in various dramatic changes for workers and worker organizations. Globalization has also enabled large parts of the labour movement to communicate effectively and at relatively low cost. The Global Union Research Network (GURN) aims to contribute to research on topics that have become prominent due to globalization and by extensive use of modern technologies which are one of the driving forces behind globalization