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The State of the Unions

As President Macron on France takes on the country's powerful trade unions, we ask if organised labour has a future?

The French President, Emmanuel Macron is taking on the country's powerful unions. The response to his proposed labour reforms has been a wave of public sector strikes across France. It's a battle that has played out many times over recent years in industrialised nations and trades unions have, without doubt, been losing influence globally. Why is this happening? Do workers no longer regard unions as an effective way of representing their interests? Have unions failed to adapt to the changing way we work? That's the Real Story this week with James Coomarasamy as he and his guests discuss the future of unions in the 21st Century.

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50 minutes

Last on

Sat 14 Apr 2018 11:06GMT
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Contributors

Edward Webster - Director of the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

Rachel Greszler - Economist with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington DC.

Mary Davis - Professor of Labour History at Royal Holloway, University of London. Author of 'Comrade or Brother: the History of the British Labour Movement'.

Antonia Bance - Head of Campaigns for the TUC, the federation representing the majority of trade unions in the UK.

Also taking part

Didier Hotte - Spokesman for France's third largest union, Force Ouvriere

Mark Janus - Child support specialist from Illinois who's challenged the union which required him to pay fees, even though he's not a union member.

Photo

Air France employees stage a demonstration during a two-day strikeΒ at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, 11th April 2018. Credit: Getty Images

Broadcasts

  • Fri 13 Apr 2018 08:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet
  • Fri 13 Apr 2018 17:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Australasia
  • Fri 13 Apr 2018 23:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet
  • Sat 14 Apr 2018 03:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except Australasia & News Internet
  • Sat 14 Apr 2018 11:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except Americas and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa

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    Global experts and decision makers discuss, debate and analyse a key news story.