Labour Law and Climate Change

Although the existential threat of climate change has at last been generally acknowledged, its influence on the labour market and the regulation of labour relations remains ambivalent at best. This supremely important volume, with contributions by thirteen prominent labour law practitioners and academics, shows how labour law not only can but absolutely must assume a greater role in the debate on the climate crisis and move towards a new eco-friendly labour paradigm.

Committed to the proposition that employment must come to terms with the natural environment and open a new chapter in the relationship between human work and the Earth, the authors examine critical issues and perspectives on the role of labour law in a just ecological transition, focusing on such aspects as the following:

• negative externalities associated with the value chains production model;

• (in)effectiveness of corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives;

• protection of human rights from violations attributable to private sector activities;

• protection of whistleblowers;

• need for professional training in new occupations;

• environmental migrants;

• reskilling and active inclusion of workers and jobseekers;

• role of remote work and flexible working time; and

• evaluation and reward of employees.

The impact of the green transition on industrial activities is already creating strong tensions among the social parties, leading inevitably to massive restructuring of enterprises and relocation of thousands of workers. This detailed analysis of the implications of climate change for the labour contract and the industrial relations system provides appropriate tools to understand trends and possible solutions for the future. It will be welcomed by managers, consultants, corporate lawyers, judges, human rights experts, trade unionists, researchers, and professors placed at the nexus of labour, industrial relations, and social rights in Europe and worldwide.