When Apple Computers was challenged recently about the labour conditions in their iPod factories located in China, a public relations representative gave a well-rehearsed defence; the Chinese cultural context is very different from that of the West. While to us the factories appear to be realms of hyper-exploitation, to locals they represent progress and opportunity when compared to the alternatives. Perversely enough, this appeal to cultural relativism resonates with postmodern celebrations of difference, local micro-politics and resistance that eschew grandiose meta-narratives. In this last chapter, we suggest that struggles in contemporary organizations, both in the West and elsewhere (e.g. China), usually involve justice claims that appeal to the broader concerns of others. As we saw from the last chapter, the most successful struggles are those that make clear and multifaceted justice claims, connecting to wider issues relating to work and beyond. It is these claims for justice that transform individual struggles from simple self-serving politics to a common cause (or ground) potentially involving all oppressed parties.

This final chapter pulls together many of the issues and concepts that have been discussed in the book so far.