TIE is a global grassroots network of workers active in workplaces and communities.
It includes both union and non-union activists in the formal and informal sectors.
tie aims to encourage, organize, and facilitate international consciousness and cooperation among workers and their organizations in various parts of the World.

TIE was founded in 1978 through the initiative of union activists from various countries. Today, tie includes activists in every continent and has active groups in Bangladesh, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the USA. From the beginning TIE has supported workers initiatives that see them- selves as part of a broader movement for social change committed to fight for a life without exploitation and exclusion – a life grounded in the dignity of human beings and their freedom for self determination.