Critical issues in employee relations (2): global unions

This chapter discusses an issue of strategic importance for senior managers in multinational companies: how to manage global employment relations. HR managers in multinationals are expected to be expert and play a key role in deciding strategy in this field, where mistakes can be extremely costly.
The chapter begins with a short case study showing some problems that can occur. next the global regulatory framework is introduced. Following this, a picture of trade unionism world wide is made showing how companies are talking to global union organisations to help them deal with the problems. A case study of how one of these global labour organisations helped a large multinational deal with HIV?AIDS among employees in Africa, saving many union members' lives, rounds off the chapter's core. The conclusion summarises the main argument made in the chapter, is that working with global union bodies in a constructive way is most likely to provide sustainable solutions to the issues.