Labour movements, adrift

Labour institutions should shun nostalgia and embrace change to reach out to the young people.

The world labour movement has become stagnant. Having once been a potent influence that transformed the nature of work, guaranteed a certain degree of dignity to workers, and cast a curse on economic exploitation, it is now experiencing a silent yet deep crisis: The widening gap between the unionised workers of the 21st century and young people who have to rely on organised labour to secure their destiny. Young workers are no longer denying the ideals of fairness, equity or collectivism across countries and industries, but are becoming increasingly detached from old forms of labour institutions that are no longer representative of their experiences.