In a globalising world workers are often seen as victims, states as powerless and trade unions as irrelevant and fractured. However this is not the whole story. Ruggunan’s exposition of the global shipping industry, its employment practices and the labour market for South African seafarers contests this view of globalisation. He argues that organised labour is as important in shaping labour markets, creating jobs and preventing a ‘race to the bottom’ for workers in a globalising world. Key to preventing the erosion of wages and working condition is the need for global labour solidarity and an interventionist state. The book also explains why a country such as the Philippines is more successful in creating jobs for seafarers than South Africa. Finally the book contends that with the correct human resources, fiscal and industrial relations interventions South Africa could position itself as a key provider of seafaring labour to global shipping capital, potentially creating thousands of jobs.
