It is often labour that first suffers the consequences of globalization
and of the strategies capital deploys within the global economy. Labour is
aff ected by rising job insecurity and labour market instability, pressure on
wages and working conditions and rising precariousness, informalization of
employment relations or limits on collective representation. All these developments
are aggravated in the present economic and fi nancial crisis. Trade
unions have experienced difficulties in dealing with these issues at a transnational
level and are oft en pushed onto the defence. At the same time, unions
have experimented with a variety of strategies to strengthen their position towards
capital and tosoft en the impact of globalization. In particular, eff orts
have been made to develop innovative forms of transnational cooperation
and collective bargaining to counter global capital strategies and to regain
the initiative.