Abstract
Labor movements are social movements reflecting the interests of the industrial working class. Trade unions have made up the traditional core of labor movements and political parties have represented working‐class interests, leading most notably to the creation of welfare states across Western liberal democracies during the twentieth century. The relative affluence and security of the postwar period provided a context wherein “new social movements” emerged, which, unlike the labor movements of the past, were not primarily concerned with material issues, such as socioeconomic inequality, but instead emphasized “post‐material” values, such as identity and quality of life. While this implies “old” issues associated with labor movements have disappeared, critics argue transformations globally point to their enduring relevance, as contemporary movements have emerged to protest against new forms of precarity, the human costs of austerity, and material deprivation experienced by people in the developing countries of the Global South.