The environmental and labour movements must work together

There is a growing recognition that environmental and social justice must go hand-in-hand.

For more than 15 years within the international labour movement, my focus was on environmentalism. I am now programme director at Greenpeace International. During my journey, with a foot in each of these two movements, we have seen huge changes. We have all seen workers fighting back, challenging their hypocritical employers, forming unions and, with renewed energy, asserting their right to a decent job, protection and a voice in their workplace, their sector and their countries. But what I had the privilege of seeing and working on is equally exciting. When I became involved in the environmental conversations, there was an entrenched perception among unions that unless certain social conditions were met climate action should be delayed – as if fighting climate change was a bit of a bonus for a pacified, wealthy society.