Understanding trade union existence in the Zeitgeist of the global: an interpretive journey

Abstract

Trade unions represent employee collec tives ' voice to otherwise disaggregated employees to check the arbitrary use of managerial power. In the age of globalisation, where state policy, free movement of capital and the spreading footprints of multinational corporations across the world have intersected to create the Zeitgeist of liberalisation and deregulation, Indian trade unions are loosing sympathy from numerous quar ters. Though unions at the grassroots are aligned to larger state and national unions, these alignments appear to be only formal in nature and devoid of the ideological richness that they should normally yield. There appear to be great asymmetries in power as well. Through interviews with seven trade union lead ers, the authors were able to discern the expression of alienated connectedness characterised by powerlessness, self es trangement, normlessness, socio-cultural isolation and disenchantment