What does it really mean to be a union member? For many, it’s just a fee deducted from their paycheck every month. For others, it’s a source of pride. But how often do we stop and reflect on what our membership truly means, beyond our own workplaces and national borders?

I am an electrician working in a trade built on skill, pride, and a deep understanding that what we do matters to society. I am also a member of the Swedish Electricians’ Union, a union built on the same values. I take great pride in my membership and am confident that we make a meaningful difference. But being a member is more than that.

Many of my comrades are fiercely loyal to their unions. That’s great, but it also means that we often fail to see the bigger picture of what being part of a union really means.

When you are a member of a trade union in Sweden, you are also part of LO, our confederation, our way of working together across union borders. Through LO, we can support each other in collective bargaining, organise sympathy strikes, and fight for decent working conditions for all workers in Sweden. But it doesn’t stop there.

As a member of the Swedish Electricians’ Union, I am also part of our global union, the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI). Knowing this is not just my duty - it’s yours too. Just as LO exists to help us support each other within Sweden, our global unions exist to support our fellow workers across national borders.

Why aren’t we talking about union struggles around the world?

Why aren’t we talking about how the Australian government took control of CFMEU, dissolved its leadership, and fired over 200 union activists for doing what unions are supposed to do?

Why aren’t we talking about the fact that organising a workplace in Myanmar can lead to torture and imprisonment?

Why aren’t we talking about how migrant construction workers in Qatar were forced to hand over their passports upon arrival, how they were crammed ten men into a room built for four, and how they were never paid for their work?

This isn’t about isolated incidents–This is about systematic, global repression of trade unionism.

Why aren’t we talking about our comrades in SUNTRACS in Panama, where standing up for workers’ rights means risking arrest, persecution, and exile – where union leaders are hunted down and forced to seek asylum in foreign embassies just to avoid being imprisoned like criminals?

Why aren’t we talking about how trade union activists in many countries are harassed, persecuted, and subjected to violence every single day?

I get it, it’s tough. It’s easier to focus on your own life, your own struggles.

But if we don’t act, if we don’t raise these issues and stand with our fellow workers around the world, who will? We need to give our global unions the tools to change the world. And it starts with us talking about it.

So here’s my challenge to you:

Find out which global union you belong to - learn about their work - spread the word. Talk about it with politicians, union leaders, and your colleagues. If we don’t do it, who will? If not now, when?

Jesper Ekström
Youth secretary, Swedish Electricians’ Union
Chair, BWI European Youth Committee
Vice Chair, BWI International Youth Committee