While unions are concerned with the distribution of economic power in society, Compa characterized NGOs as primarily emphasizing questions of morality. NGOs generally perceive changes in business practice and government policy, not increased union power, as the best approach for achieving social justice. Both unions and NGOs increasingly seek to incorporate each other s views into their efforts and programs, but Compa stated that an inherent tension remains. NGOs often contest the privileging and leadership claims of unions in favor of a less hierarchical approach to coalitional work. Compa observed that unions and NGOs often differ over the means they propose to achieve the same broad social justice goals.
Unions reject the notion of an inherently positive impact from free trade and globalization.
Thus unions call for a social clause in international trade agreements to prevent unfair trade based on competitive advantages in labor costs gained by violations of workers rights. NGOs, on the other hand, generally seek to harness public opinion, especially consumer opinion, often through the news and other media, to effect change and punish what they see as bad corporate behavior. This divergence in strategies is also evident in the push for corporate codes of conduct. Unions tend to be wary of the usefulness of these initiatives, seeing them as weak substitutes for strong laws and effective enforcement of social clauses or even worse, as mechanisms to bypass bargaining with workers and their organized representatives. NGOs, on the other hand, are generally more encouraged by the adoption of codes of conduct by corporations, and see a legitimate role for self-regulation by business.