The Effects of Neoliberalism on Labour in the United States, with Some Comparative Notes on India

In this article, I attempt to examine the impact of so-called globalization on workers and their organizations in the Economically Developed Countries (EDCs) and the Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs), with specific reference to the United States and India. It is argued that globalization is a misnomer, since what is really important is its neo-liberal character. Yet, the woes of labour in both India and the United States, while exacerbated greatly by neo-liberalism, pre-date its rise. In India, the post-colonial state played a major role in undermining the struggle of labour, while in the U.S., a statistically documented employer offensive, and the inability or unwillingness of labour organizations to challenge it, can be traced back for over half a century, leading to a continuous decline in labour strength.