Globalisation, the Global Labour Movement and Transnational Solidarity Campaigns: Three Case Studies from Turkey

Despite the hegemonic existence of transnational corporations, there are still certain ways to challenge their hegemony and highly un-democratic behaviour, particularly in connection with labour rights. The labour movement can still, to some extent, confront globalised monopoly capital, constituting a counter-force to that of capital in the context of neo-liberal globalisation. Various methods, policies and organisational bases exist for the labour movement to target specific TNCs, building coalitions with the victims and opponents of the system. Transnational solidarity campaigns are one of the most important tools used by organised labour to overcome the barriers to organise and to achieve basic demands from TNCs and their supply chains. This article draws lessons from three such successful campaigns in Turkish companies concerning the common characteristics which made determining contributions, while also pointing to the need for efforts to continue in the postcampaign environment to ensure that workplace gains and union branch organisation are sustainable.