‘Just transition’? Conceptual challenges meet stark reality in a ‘transitioning’ coal region in Australia

Snell, Darryn

doi:10.1080/14747731.2018.1454679

Cited by 96 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In practice, the concept of just transition has also encompassed different emphases and some variation in meaning between unions (Snell, 2018; Snell and Fairbrother, 2013; Stevis and Felli, 2015). Furthermore, at the level of the workplace, the strategic implications for union organisers and delegates are not always clear or fully developed.…”

Section: The Role Of Labour and Unions In Environmental Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These contradictions in union strategy largely reflect circumstances in the sector in which unions operate. Unions in chemicals, mining, manufacturing and energy have commonly emphasised labour protectionism, representing ‘vested interests’ (Snell, 2018; Stevis and Felli, 2015). In Australia, the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) has advocated compensation and protection for some highly pollutive industries such as mining where it operates, emphasising that their support for climate action is conditional on no job losses (Goods, 2011; Snell and Fairbrother, 2011).…”

Section: The Role Of Labour and Unions In Environmental Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental bargaining in Australia

Markey

McIvor

2019

Journal of Industrial Relations

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An emerging body of research addresses the link between environmental issues, especially climate change, and employment relations. In this article, we examine the ways in which employment relations actors are addressing climate change, particularly focusing on collective bargaining. We begin by surveying the literature linking climate change and employment relations, especially analysing union strategies in this sphere, and develop a conceptual framework linking these threads. We then examine the incidence and content of collective enterprise bargaining over environmental issues in Australia for 2011–2016, applying and adapting Goods' concepts of embedded institutional and voluntary multilateral approaches. The former inserts environmental commitments into formal collective agreements; the latter involves unions and workers more directly in developing emissions-reduction activities in the workplace. We address the potential links between these and the different actors (unions or management) that drive them. We find that environmental clauses in Australian agreements are rare, and that they are as likely to be driven by management as by unions. The institutional, organisational, and particularly the regulatory environment seem responsible. However, exceptions – notably in universities – provide exemplars for substantial, class-based union agency. We also find that collective bargaining may facilitate more ongoing, strategic initiatives of the voluntary multilateral type.

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Section: The Role Of Labour and Unions In Environmental Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Role Of Labour and Unions In Environmental Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental bargaining in Australia

Markey

McIvor

2019

Journal of Industrial Relations

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“…International expressions of commitment to climate action do not necessarily translate into effective action as neither national government nor local actors may accept the possibility of socially responsible, green capitalism (Sweeney, 2015). Further questions are raised about implementing a just transition framework into different geographical and sectoral contexts, each with its own history, specific issues and power relations (Snell, 2018). Above all, however, critics argue that the approach developed and articulated by organized labour in Europe is a variant of ecological modernization (Mol et al, 2009) and does not challenge the social relations of production entailed in the neoliberal political economic order (Felli, 2014; Sweeney and Treat, 2018).…”

Section: Unions and Green Transitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unions and the green transition in construction in Europe: Contrasting visions

Clarke

Sahin-Dikmen

2020

European Journal of Industrial Relations

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The construction industry, responsible for 40 percent of European Union (EU) end-use emissions, is targeted as a major area of transformation particularly through the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive requiring nearly zero energy building (NZEB). Through a case study approach, union responses to EU strategy on the implementation of energy efficiency standards are evaluated in Denmark, Germany, Italy and UK (Scotland), presenting a varied picture, from minimal acknowledgement to broad support along the lines of ecological modernization to radical transformation. Radical appraisals of the industry and its exploitative and high-carbon practices are rare, though engaging with the employment and vocational education and training (VET) implications. The article presents a labour-centred alternative to a technical-driven transition agenda, focusing on how the labour process needs to change in a sector dominated by small firms, self-employment, a fragmented labour process and often low levels of VET.

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“…Instead, vast areas of underdevelopment are visible within the boundaries of Western jurisdiction (Gould et al, 2016). JT experiences in Australia, for example, suggest that the ability for workers to find alternative decent employment after a facility closure for environmental reasons is not good (Snell, 2018: 561). JT strategies should therefore be reoriented towards non-traditional industrial relations issues such as public authorities’ and employers’ financial support and educational opportunities for workers displaced by environmental policies.…”

Section: Treadmill Of Production Just Transition and Theories Of Indmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Treadmill of Production to Just Transition and Beyond

Tomassetti

2020

European Journal of Industrial Relations

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Drawing on Treadmill of Production (ToP) and Just Transition (JT) theories, the article proposes a comparative analysis of the labour/environment nexus, evident across Europe and epitomized in the case of the Italian industrial relations system. The research shows continuity between ToP and JT. Despite ToP being the dominant logic of collective action during much of the modern (post-Second World War) industrial era, a long wave of JT can be identified from the late 1960s, as Italian union struggles for decent and healthier working environments contributed to making production processes more sustainable for the broader environment and communities far beyond the workplace. This long wave of JT is nowadays reinforced and made more visible by an explicit integration of labour and environmental protection through collective bargaining and social partnerships. In many cases, however, labour and capital interests still prevail over environmental ones and new dimensions of ToP emerge in the JT era.

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‘Just transition’? Conceptual challenges meet stark reality in a ‘transitioning’ coal region in Australia

Cited by 96 publications

References 22 publications

Environmental bargaining in Australia

Environmental bargaining in Australia

Unions and the green transition in construction in Europe: Contrasting visions

From Treadmill of Production to Just Transition and Beyond

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