About this course
Why is climate a core labour issue? How does it affect workers? What does it mean for labour strategies?
This online course explores different aspects of the ‘jobs vs. environment dilemma’ through a lens of current struggles, as well as academic and policy debates. It also explores fundamental transformations in the ways we produce, consume and organise our economy and society, with a special focus on energy transition.
This course was first launched in 2021.
Key concepts
jobs vs. environment dilemma, green growth, de-growth, environmentalism, just transition, decarbonization
Course structure
Chapter I: Course Introduction
Chapter II: Setting the Context: Why is the Environment a Labour Issue?
Chapter III: Responding to the Environmental Crisis: Workers' Struggles Across the World
Chapter IV: Theoretical and Conceptual Debates on Labour and Environment
Chapter V: Facing the Environmental Challenge: Labour Policies and Strategies
Chapter VI: Energy Crisis: Questions, Visions and Strategies
Course materials and workload
This course has 6 content chapters. The chapter contains a series of units; each unit is composed of one video lecture, two quiz questions, a reflection question, a key reading, as well as additional reading materials. All these can be downloaded and used offline. Zoom workshops with the course contributors and/or other other experts provide a space to dive deeper into the topic (wherever available, these are located under the video lecture).
The estimated workload for each chapter, including key readings, is around 6-8 hours (depending on the length of the chapter).
Course contributors
Alana Dave, Urban Transport Director, International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), United Kingdom
Dr. Béla Galgóczi, Senior Research Officer, European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), Hungary/Belgium
Dr. Frank Hoffer, Non-executive Director, Global Labour University Online Academy, Germany
Prof. Stefanie Lorenzen, Professor for Business Law, Employment and Labor Law, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany
Sam Mason, Policy Officer for Sustainability and Climate Change, Public & Commercial Services (PCS) Trade Union, United Kingdom
John Mark Mwanika, Programs Officer, Amalgamated Transport and General Workers’ Union (ATGWU-Uganda), and Chair of the ITF Urban Transport Committee, Uganda
Prof. Nora Räthzel, Senior Professor of Sociology, Umeå University, Sweden
Dr. Silpa Satheesh, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India
Mametlwe Sebei, President, General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA), South Africa
Prof. Dimitris Stevis, Professor of Political Science, Colorado State University, USA
Michael Stöckel, Economist and Research Assistant, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany
Prof. Dr. Markus Wissen, Professor of Social Sciences, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany
Dr. Edlira Xhafa, Executive Director, Global Labour University Online Academy