L’article Participation au Labour 7 Summit du TUAC, OCDE, 5 mai 2026 est apparu en premier sur IRES.

Trade war, rearmament and the energy transition in retreat: states and trade unions faced with a world in crisis
Catherine SAUVIAT and Claude SERFATI

The end of the 2000s ushered in an era of uncertainty for the global economy, which Donald Trump’s policy continues to exacerbate, even as China challenges American hegemony. This new era is defined by three major challenges: trade war, regression of commitments regarding the energy transition and increases in defence spending to the detriment of social spending. While these three challenges affect the United States, the European Union and China differently, they signal the emergence of a world in which economic competition and geopolitical rivalry converge in dangerous ways. Faced with such upheavals, trade unions fluctuate between defending jobs, downgrading their expectations of a “just transition” and a mostly approving attitude to the accelerated rearmament of their respective countries.

Keywords: trade war, rearmament, defence policy, trade unions, energy transition.

United States
Trade unions faced with protectionism, defence spending and the halting of the energy transition
Catherine SAUVIAT

This article analyses the main three changes brought in by the new US administration since January 2025, at a time when China is vying to supplant the United States’ global hegemony. These changes include a sharp rise in customs duties, a massive increase in defence spending to the detriment of large social programmes for the poorest members of society, and the sudden halt of the energy transition. The article summarises the reactions and the issues faced by the American trade union movement at this radical turning point.

Keywords: United States, protectionism, defence spending, energy transition, social programmes, trade unions.

China
Sino-American rivalry and the refocussing of global production networks on South-East Asia
Clément SÉHIER, Aymeric MARIETTE and Muriel PÉRISSE

American motivations for recently adopted protectionist measures include a wish to counter the growing power of Chinese industry. Chinese leaders, conscious of foreign reliance on their country, match American sanctions while reinforcing other industrial partnerships. The ASEAN countries, particularly attractive for low-VAT sectors, are thus benefitting from an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) in manufacturing. As such, American strategy runs the risk of reinforcing China’s central role in global production networks (GPN).

Keywords: China, global production networks (GPN), ASEAN, foreign direct investment (FDE).

Europe
New challenges for trade unions: the environment, security/defence and trade war
Philippe POCHET and Odile CHAGNY

This article analyses the ways in which the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and IndustriAll cope with three issues now of central importance to the European agenda: climate, defence and trade. In a context defined by the war in Ukraine, geopolitical realignment and a re-examination of free trade, trade unions are refocussing their strategy on industrial policy, social conditionalities and quality jobs. While this new territory offers room for manoeuvre, the regression of social and environmental policies places trade unions above all in a defensive stance against deregulation.

Keywords: Europe, European Trade Union Confederation, IndustriAll, environment, defence policy, trade war.

Germany
An economic model under strain, destabilised trade unions
Marcus KAHMANN

As the largest economy in the Eurozone and heavily reliant on international trade, Germany is strongly affected by changes to the global political and economic order. As massive restructuring affects the industrial sector, the government has decided to commit to an unprecedented rearmament plan. This reappraisal of budgetary equilibria provides new arguments to those who consider that the German social model “is no longer financeable” and that “more realism” is required regarding the climate crisis. Trade unions are struggling to find answers for this novel situation.

Keywords: Germany, industrial sector, international trade, social model, austerity, climate crisis, trade unions.

Brazil
An energy transition at the expense of economic opportunities
Juliana CARVALHO MIRANDA TEIXEIRA

Faced with 50% tariffs on its exports to the US in 2025, Brazil is forced to reorganise its trade relations. This article analyses the economic effects of a return to specialising in the export of raw materials and agricultural products and the dilemma faced by trade unions, caught between protecting jobs and the green transition. It examines the country’s ability to convert this crisis into an opportunity to lead an inclusive green transition, moving beyond mere extractivism.

Keyword: Brazil, export, extractivism, raw materials, trade unions, jobs, green transition.

Canada
Escaping trade reliance on the United States
Axel MAGNAN

The brutal trade conflict initiated by Donald Trump, targeting Canadian export sectors (energy, automobile, metalwork), has caused great political and economic uncertainty in a country of which three quarters of exports are to the US. Public authorities and trade union organisations are implementing political and commercial responses and trying to limit the country’s reliance on its neighbour

Keywords: Canada, trade war, exports, business sector, trade union.

Italy
Trade unions faced with the challenges of trade war and the race to rearm
Cristina NIZZOLI

Against the backdrop of the trade war instigated by Donald Trump and the race to rearm led by NATO and the European Union, this article looks at the responses given by the government and analyses the positioning of Italian unions, whose traditional social demands are now accompanied by anti-war messaging. Significant strike actions against the war and against the genocide of the Palestinian people have been initiated by union rank and file.

Keywords: Italy, trade war, defence policy, trade unions.

United Kingdom
Trade-offs between military spending and social spending at the centre of decision-making
Jacques FREYSSINET

The installation in July 2024 of a Labour government armed with a programme of social reforms with funding contingent on stimulating growth makes the United Kingdom an outlier. However, the outlook has grown dim as the defence sector demands huge spending. The resulting austerity mainly falls upon social policy. While the union movement continues to support the government, it is mobilising against the regression of social protections and leaving member unions to be responsible for managing the sector-level effects of current changes.

Keywords: United Kingdom, military spending, social spending, austerity, trade unions, business sector.

Sweden
Large spending increases and budget stimulus: an atypical choice
Annie JOLIVET

Confronted with increased security and defence challenges and growth stagnation, the Swedish government has opted for a stimulus budget. Increases to defence spending enjoy broad approval and partially benefits Swedish businesses. Tax cuts for households and the lack of long-term measures are widely criticised, particularly by trade union organisations. The effects of American customs duty rises are short-term and differ between sectors.

Keywords: Sweden, customs duty, defence policy, budget stimulus.

L’article English abstracts est apparu en premier sur IRES.

Participation au Labour 7 Summit du TUAC, OCDE, 5 mai 2026

Intervention de Catherine Sauviat et Claude Serfati, chercheur.es associé.es à l’Ires, au Labour 7 Summit du TUAC (OCDE) le 5 mai prochain lors de la session “Trade and Decent Work: upholding a fair and sustainable trade model”. Ils présenteront le numéro spécial de la Chronique internationale de l’IRES paru en janvier, « La fin de la « mondialisation heureuse », qu’ils ont coordonné.

L’article N°192 est apparu en premier sur IRES.

The European Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act establishes a strict legal framework for AI systems, with an approach centred on the product and the risks. While not aimed at the world of employment, it covers a number of systems which do have an impact on it, particularly HR systems, considered to be at high risk. It recognizes few rights for worker representatives, but opens up a number of levers for them through information and training, which they may seize, alongside those provided by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Employment code.
Keywords: European Union, European Act, artificial intelligence (AI), HR system, social dialogue, trade union.

European Union. Dividends from war… but for whom?
Claude SERFATI

In an international context subject to considerable change since the end of the 2000s, this article analyses the « Rearm Europe » programme proposed by the European Commission in March 2025, in response to the surge in conflicts. The article critically analyses the arguments in support of it, in terms of growth, technological dynamism and employment. It analyses the considerable increase in French military spending announced under this programme by Emmanuel Macron, the industrial and workforce challenges posed by it as well as the gloomy social outlook heralded by it.
Keywords: European Union, Rearm Europe, conflict, military spending, social spending.

United States. The dismantling of the federal public service and the main administrations
Catherine SAUVIAT

Since coming into power in January 2025, Donald Trump has launched into dismantling the federal public service, a task he has entrusted to Elon Musk, nominated, to that end, to head up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He also signed an executive order revoking the collective bargaining rights of around a million federal employees working in certain specifically targeted federal agencies. Despite the strong presence of trade unions in the federal public sector compared with the private sector, the unions are struggling to counter effectively, beyond contesting these decisions before the courts.
Keywords: United States, federal public service, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), collective bargaining, trade union.

Japan. The traditional model of the housewife versus women’s aspirations of jobs and equality of opportunity
Hiromasa SUZUKI

With the aim of creating universal retirement pension coverage, the great reform of 1985 established the status of « economically dependent married woman » granting all housewives the right to a retirement pension. But the role of women has evolved considerably in the last 40 years, particularly due to the growth of jobs occupied by women and the spread of the idea of equality of opportunity. This status is now the subject of debate between supporters of abolishing or amending this status and supporters of the status quo.
Keywords: Japan, pensions, economically dependent married woman, women’s employment, equality of opportunity.

L’article English Abstracts est apparu en premier sur IRES.

L’article « La réindustrialisation passe par le renforcement du tissu des PME » est apparu en premier sur IRES.

L’article « La réindustrialisation passe par le renforcement du tissu des PME » est apparu en premier sur IRES.

L’article Présentation du rapport « Un bilan des politiques industrielles en France », 13 juin 2024 est apparu en premier sur IRES.

L’article La politique industrielle et ses résultats : plus ça change, plus c’est pareil est apparu en premier sur IRES.

L’article Ires et CFE-CGC : une étude de choc sur la politique industrielle est apparu en premier sur IRES.

Avec la participation de Catherine Sauviat, Claude Serfati et Marcus Kahmann.

L’article Un bilan des politiques industrielles en France, 12 février 2024 est apparu en premier sur IRES.