1. Margaret Grieco & Stephen Little - Global Unionism in the ‘Information Age’ – February 2006 1 www.design-and-determination.com/global-unions Big Pharma, international labour, social movements and the internet: coordination and critical perspectives on international business Margaret Grieco, Napier University UK and Cornell University, USA Stephen Little Open University Business School UK

2. Margaret Grieco & Stephen Little - Global Unionism in the ‘Information Age’ – February 2006 2 The new political space - ICTs and the globalising of labour and social movements n Global business imperatives for web infrastructure Interaction with globalized client base n Distributed Global IT = Open IT Accessibility at household and individual level Collective development of existing public communicative skills, –http://www.angelfire.com/co3/NCFS/campaign.htmlhttp://www.angelfire.com/co3/NCFS/campaign.html –http://www.actupny.org/http://www.actupny.org/ n Internet as the ground for the globalised coordination of labour –http://www.icem.org/?id=4&doc=808http://www.icem.org/?id=4&doc=808 Internet as open source communication home for social, political and labour movements –mirrors open source software movement

3. Margaret Grieco & Stephen Little - Global Unionism in the ‘Information Age’ – February 2006 3 The new political space - ICTs and the globalising of labour and social movements n Social shadowing The remote monitor the central –Global discourse repositions local discourses –http://www.treat-your-workers.org/http://www.treat-your-workers.org/ Social movements plus labour movement –http://www.tac.org.za/http://www.tac.org.za/ –http://squat.net/cia/gp/docs/fighting_pharma.rtfhttp://squat.net/cia/gp/docs/fighting_pharma.rtf –Diffusion of skill creates reverse panopticon

4. Margaret Grieco & Stephen Little - Global Unionism in the ‘Information Age’ – February 2006 4 Social shadowing of Big Pharma n Effectiveness of coordinated political pressure –http://www.global-campaign.org/bigpharma.htmhttp://www.global-campaign.org/bigpharma.htm –http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0903-11.htmhttp://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0903-11.htm Key concessions from global operators –http://www.speakout.org.za/medical/main.htmlhttp://www.speakout.org.za/medical/main.html n Big Pharma Response: Self Exposure online GSK Employee Guide to Business Conduct –http://www.gsk.com/about/corp-gov/Employee-Guide-2004.pdfhttp://www.gsk.com/about/corp-gov/Employee-Guide-2004.pdf Dusa Pharmaceuticals Code of Ethics Applicable to Senior Officers –http://www.dusapharma.com/pdf/Dusacode.pdfhttp://www.dusapharma.com/pdf/Dusacode.pdf

5. Margaret Grieco & Stephen Little - Global Unionism in the ‘Information Age’ – February 2006 5 Conclusion: the new structure of global challenges n Contradictions of connectivity Transparency and ease of information access Suppression of information replaced by tapping of information flows ICT and social movements brings new pedagogy of the oppressed n Key role for the labour movement relaying and supporting the messages of the vulnerable and oppressed in the area of health and beyond