Global union federations on affiliates’ websites: Forces shaping unions’ global organisational identity

Affiliates’ sense of oneness in a Global Union Federation (GUF) is pivotal for that GUF to be able to counter the forces of globalisation. We argue that GUF saliency in affiliates’ identity is the microfoundation of this sense of oneness. We examine this facet of identity by analysing the contents of the websites of 2314 affiliates of four major GUFs. Our three-step study explores the extent to which and why GUFs’ saliency varies across affiliates. First, we compute a GUF saliency index score for each affiliate based on its website contents. Second, we examine the impact of macro-institutional characteristics (national employment relations and socioeconomic characteristics) on the GUF saliency score. Finally, focusing on one GUF, Public Service International and drawing on 19 semi-structured interviews in 16 countries across six world regions, we highlight appeal and relationships, and especially their joint effect, as fundamental forces to explain the variations between affiliates. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for GUF debate and policies.