How do workers and their unions become climate actors? A research framework

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Environmental Studies
• Labor Relations

Background:

• Climate change presents significant challenges for workers, including job displacement and health risks.
• Workers and unions are often overlooked as active participants in climate policy development and implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a research framework for analyzing workers and unions as strategic actors in the climate transition.
• To conceptualize union engagement based on strategies and influencing factors.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and empirical observations to identify union strategies.
• Development of a framework integrating internal and external factors influencing union strategies.

Main Results:

• Identified five generic union strategies: abstentionist, unconditionally supportive, conditionally supportive, oppositional, and transformative.
• Proposed a framework that maps strategies along agreement with climate policies and engagement in climate action.
• Integrated internal factors (worker interests, union resources, capabilities) and external influences (power structures, discourse, employer strategies).

Conclusions:

• Workers and unions possess agency and can strategically engage in the climate transition.
• Understanding the multifaceted factors influencing union strategies is crucial for effective climate action and a just transition.