The Rio+20 outcomes, their impact on employment, the workplace and the role of employers’ organizations and trade unions

This article discusses research on the impact on employment and the workplace from the commitments made at Rio+20 and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s recent Conferences of the Parties, and the relationship with climate change and sustainability policies. It explores the ongoing work of employers’ organizations and trade unions as part of the response by civil society. The article reports that international agreements have not yet been of noticeable influence over domestic labour issues. It also finds that diverse issues and interests have hampered the opportunity for effective intervention in UN proceedings by employers’ organizations, trade unions and other civil society organizations. The article concludes that a separation of the economic and social from the environmental imperative may be necessary to refocus the efforts of the multilateral process on preserving the world’s natural resources and effectively managing climate change.