Trade Unions and Socio-Ecological Transformation | Exploring alternatives for a sustainable future

Event in English with consecutive translation into German

“Humanity is facing a serious ecological crisis. In the discussion about how to overcome this crisis, we are often presented with technological solutions for sustainable development such as ‘green Keynesianism’ or ‘ecological modernization.’ However, none of these approaches is capable of offering a real solution, as they do not fundamentally question the existing conditions of production and social reproduction.

Many different actors, from civil society to institutions are considered protagonists of change. However, one crucial actor is often overlooked: the organized labor movement. Social-ecological transformation has long been a complex issue for trade unions, as they find themselves caught in the so-called ‘jobs versus environment dilemma’. At the same time, structural changes in the economy, such as outsourcing and the emergence of new unorganized sectors, make it difficult for trade unions to reach all sections of the working class. 

In this context, questions such as the following arise: How could a transition to a more sustainable future be possible? How can ecological issues be linked to the agenda of the labor movement? How should workers in general, and trade unions in particular, deal with the issue of the ecological crisis in order to overcome the dilemma between jobs and the environment? How can this issue be addressed on a global level?” 

In addition to our panelists, alumni from the Global Labour University (GLU) will provide examples from current struggles of trade unions around the topic of socio-ecological transformation. 

An event organized by the Global Labor University (GLU) and the Department of Global Political Economy of Labor at the University of Kassel