This document discusses the need for transnational solidarity among labor and social movements in response to the global economic crisis and neoliberal restructuring. It argues that the crisis presents an opportunity for opposition movements to challenge the capitalist system. Transnational cooperation is important to overcome obstacles like nationalism that divide workers. The document examines experiences of movements resisting privatization and building alternative institutions at local, national, and international levels. It stresses the importance of innovative, networked struggle to reconstruct public spheres and address the root causes of inequality under capitalism.

1. Solving the Differential Equation of
Transnational Solidarity
Networking labour and social movements against
state-capital partnerships
Örsan Şenalp
Social Network Unionism
snuproject.wordpress.com

2. Restructuring => Proletarianisation
WTO expanding
privatization proletariat
IMF
deregulation crisis of unions
World Bank
financialisation loss of social
OECD
free trade zones rights Global
UN agnc. Crisis
flexibility environmental
EU - ECB degradation
subcontracting
US - FED new enclosure
good governance &/ global
...
apartheid
Process creating the global working class [in it self at present]

3. New context: Organic crisis of global
capitalism
 Restructuring process has been coupled with
continuous crises since its beginning in the 70s, now it
turned into a Global Organic Crisis -as in Gramsci
 State restructuring processes is in crisis as well. This
increases the risk of accessibility to livelihoods for
billions at the highest level today.
 This brings an opportunity for opposition movements
formed in the last decade in the global north and south
to challenge the system.

4. Highest need for transnational solidarity
 The crisis worsen the life for the majority of workers,
trade unions and unemployed/landless proletariat
 It is important to establish key obstacles before truly
transnational solidarity now in a systematic way

Nationalism, divide and rule strategy of capital-
state partnerships, co-optation, traditional left and
trade union politics, interest and identity
differentiation, and others.

5. Resistance National level
Developing regional level
alternative norm,
idea, and international
institutions level
Promoting these transnationally
alternatives
Polity
Labor – social Policy
movements –
communities – Politics
left parties –
governments
economics, ethics
High Level Differential Equation of Transnational Solidarity

6. Global Justice and
Solidarity Movement
Struggle against
neoliberal offensive
against the public
services/ creating
alternatives popular
Solidarity democratic institutions
experience of and solidarity economy
Labour and
social
movements in
the water Global water
struggle movement
Movements learning from each other’s experiences

7. Chipas, Seattle, Cochabamba, Porto Alegre
and beyond
 Starting in Chipas (Zapatista), Seattle (against MAI) and in
Cochabamba (against TNCs) we have observed that the
counter-hegemonic movements entered in a new era.
 Since then many movement blossomed, existing ones
strengthened and spread, there are concrete results in divers
fields against neoliberalism.
 Within this context national (i.e. water) struggles got
connected within a transnational space and became a global
movement in which trade unions, informal labour
organisations, communities, social movements took place.

8. water for dispossessed, workers, unemployed
and landless
 Question is: in what way the access to drinking water
will be improved and expanded?
 It has been experienced long enough to see clearly
that the capitalist state does not and will not have any
motivation to answer this critical question
 With its welfare, developmentalist or neoliberal forms
capitalist state institutions and strategies work with a
logic that excludes majority interest

9. solidarity, resistance, and building
alternatives
 It is observed that left political groups, trade unions,
other forms of labour organizations, lower segments of
urban middle classes, landless peasants,
environmentalists, women groups, etc. came together
to resist (in Bolivia, Italy, Turkey, Mexico..)
neoliberalism
 Labour, especially informal labour and unemployed is
the important actor resisting privatisation
 Within several years the movement moves from local
to global level and from resistance to alternative norm
and institution building

10. reclaiming the state and commons
 Reaction to the offensive [of a transnational historic
bloc] towards the state has given important results
 Water movement has developed successful case for
public water and a strong discourse against the PPPs
 Private property in the means of production and
natural resources started to be examined more
consciously by wider society
 Idea and sense of common/public property is
promoted successfully and direct participation of
agency of water movement to water delivery is put in
practice

11. an innovative, constructive, and networked
fight for rights is necessary
 It is necessary to harmonize struggles against the global
offensive of state-capital partnerships towards labour, social
rights and the poor
 Reconstruction of public sphere and organisation of informal
labour needs to be innovatively combined, some social
movements would play key role
 The struggle needs to organised in a way that it addresses the
core institutions of capitalism as private property, competition,
profit, etc.
 It is important to be innovative, constructive and solution focused
and striving to keep middle classes at the progressive side