Rotterdam janitors on strika, ca. 2010 (IISH)
Rotterdam janitors on strika, ca. 2010 (IISH)

The International Association on Strikes and Social Conflicts organised the Fifth International Conference on Strikes and Social Conflicts that took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands at the headquarter of the Rotterdam branch of the Dutch Trade Union Confederation (FNV) from 22-24 June 2022.

Its objective was to discuss and assess the changing character of strikes and social conflict over the course of capitalist history. The focus was on the lessons learned from the approaches and strategies of trade unions and social movements in terms of responses to the social and economic changes that accompanied globalisation.

Among the specific questions to be addressed were the following:

  • What have been the responses of the working class to change under globalisation?
  • What has the impact been on the capacity of social movements to conduct struggles and what are the key observations and lessons learnt?
  • How have trade unions responded to the changing environment? Have they made suitable adaptations to labour organisation and strike methods to assist in representing the interests of workers?
  • What are the trends of global and national struggles over the short and long term and what are the prospects for future struggles?
  • What have been the convergences and divergences of social struggles during the 20th and 21st centuries?

Contributions

See the full programme on the IISH site