For many years after its founding in 1973 the Western European trade unions with Communist leanings were – with the exception of the Italian CGIL – excluded from the ETUC. The author, for twelve years head of the international department of CCOO whose application for membership finally succeeded 17 years after it was first submitted, looks back over the development of the international labour movement (part one), describes in considerable detail the founding of the ETUC and the difficulties surrounding the affiliation of CCOO and other ‘Communist’-labelled national confederations (part two) and finally (part three) explores developments during the more recent period since the fall of the Berlin Wall which entailed such far-reaching consequences for the ETUC. The book explains and openly defends the role played by the ETUC, in particular its efforts to pressure the Community authorities, national governments and European employers into giving social content to the European Union.

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