Construction Workers in a Climate Precarious World

Abstract

<jats:p> This paper examines climatic heat stress as a question of workplace health and safety in relation to at-risk and precarious labour. First, we argue that precarity is usefully understood as a phenomenon that is both generalised (all work is precarious given the function of labour under capitalism) and differentiated (experienced differently across geography, labour process and employment status). We frame climate change and labour relations as internally related and argue that climate change needs to be incorporated into the notion of precarity. Second, we explore the experience of construction workers in New South Wales, Australia, and consider the industry as a potential site of organising over both labour conditions and global warming. We conclude that climate change exacerbates precariousness, disrupting all work and intensifying and extending individual risk in various ways. Further, these experiences present a potential site to simultaneously act on both global warming and labour conditions. </jats:p>

Climate change and industrial relations: Reflections on an emerging field

“…The longer-term impacts of such efforts for the union, membership and environment remain unanswered (Markey and McIvor, 2019). Nevertheless, through an examination of heat stress in the Australian construction sector Newman and Humphrys (2020) outline how worker experience of, and agency over, climate impacts, is framed by existing industrial relations structures. They draw the conclusion that the challenge for unions is to transform such climate impacts into wider industrial struggles.…”

‘Zonked the hell out’: Climate change and heat stress at work

“…While climate heat disrupts all work and presents new challenges to health and safety generally, it does this while exacerbating precariousness and extending individual risk (Newman and Humphrys, 2020).…”

“…Problems can be greater for those on less secure employment contracts, temporary workers, piece workers, on-demand workers and migrant workers, who may have greater difficulty in taking measures to address problems (Underhill and Rimmer, 2015). While climate heat disrupts all work and presents new challenges to health and safety generally, it does this while exacerbating precariousness and extending individual risk (Newman and Humphrys, 2020).…”

“…Although a growing area of research internationally, studies of high heat impacts on labour focused on Australian workers, and in particular indoor workers, are limited (see however Carter et al, 2020; Hansen et al, 2018; Newman and Humphrys, 2020; Oppermann et al, 2018; Singh et al, 2015; Williams et al, 2020; Xiang et al, 2016). Research examining the ‘social, economic, environmental and technical aspects’ of the impacts of climate change on labour also needs to be prioritised (Lundgren et al, 2013).…”

Greening work–life balance: Connecting work, caring and the environment

“…Importantly, this proposed model could inform the nascent research on unions and green bargaining, and union and just transition—research that has largely focused on male dominated industries (Goods, 2017). Through using this model as an analytical lens, it could contribute to a more full understanding of the roles unions could play in ensuring just transition for all genders, and prioritising not just ‘green technology’ (Goods, 2017; Masterman‐Smith, 2010; Newman & Humphrys, 2020) but deep caring for the environment.…”