Above photo: Shawn Fain and members of the MWB-FGTB union during the central event of Manifiesta 2024. Workers Party of Belgium/Facebook.
At ManiFiesta 2024, trade unions played a central role.
Linking workplace struggles with broader discussions on global disarmament and peacebuilding.
At ManiFiesta 2024, the trade union square was buzzing with activity for two full days. Belgian labor activists preparing for a demonstration on September 16 to protest job cuts at Audi’s Brussels factory shared the space with union members from across Europe—Dutch, Italian, German, and French activists all exchanging struggles and strategies. Under the tents, the General Federation of Belgian Labour (ABVV-FGTB) and the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (ACV-CSC), alongside the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), discussed campaigns to defend workers’ rights.
As the European Union faces looming austerity measures and a growing cost of living crisis, union leaders know their task is more pressing—and perhaps more difficult—than ever. Despite the anticipated backlash from employers and industry-friendly governments, the mood among union organizers at ManiFiesta was one of determination, with leaders and members alike working to strengthen international ties and positioning the labor movement at the head of the global struggle for justice.
Opening Europe’s Trade Union Movement To The Global South
A key focus at ManiFiesta this year was opening Europe’s trade union movement to perspectives from the Global South and progressive movements from the United States. Irvin Jim, General Secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), spoke of his union’s victories in organizing workers as much as their role in driving initiatives – and mutinies, in the words of General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Belgium Peter Mertens – to turn the current world order upside down. Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the US, drew attention as he shared the UAW’s success in mobilizing against the Big Three automakers shortly after electing a completely new leadership team.
Fain’s concept of the “open union” resonated with many among the participants. He explained how, after the UAW brought in new leadership, one of the first changes was to give members more say in the union’s direction. This approach transformed the union. When the new leadership gave members more trust, they ran with it, Fain told Mertens, reflecting on how this shift in power inspired the UAW.
This notion of an “open union” is not unique to the UAW—European trade unions have been eyeing similar shifts. By giving their base a say in what the union should focus on, many unions have expanded their work beyond what are conservatively considered labor issues: bargaining and salaries. Everything can be a union topic, said Hillal Sor, general secretary of ABVV-FGTB’s metal workers. Sor pointed to one such initiative that came from the base—threatening strikes over arms shipments from Belgium to Israel—as an example of how workers are eager to engage with broader political issues, despite attempts to sideline them.
The Unions’ Role In The Disarmament Movement
Jeremy Corbyn, British MP and former trade union organizer himself, highlighted the importance of unions engaging in such wider struggles, particularly supporting mobilizations against the arms trade. During one panel, Corbyn stressed that although such conversations might be difficult, particularly with unions in industries tied to defense, these discussions are essential for achieving global disarmament. Unions must acknowledge that anti-union policies currently being introduced on the pretext of supporting various wars, including the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Corbyn warned.
More recently, however, transport workers’ refusal to load arms bound for Israel has signaled a potential shift in this regard. As workers across Europe face more repression and opposition, there is a growing recognition that unions must play a wider role in building global justice. Lorenzo Buzzoni’s lines from the book Monstrous Anger of the Guns, launched at this year’s ManiFiesta, captures this sentiment: “When regulations and the law fail to protect human rights, workers have the power to step in, to build a bigger movement and unite workers across borders against the arms trade.” The call for unions to recognize their power—not just in workplaces, but in building peace worldwide—resonated across the program in Ostend.