Workplace agreements and consultation with employees could provide a “third way” to reducing carbon emissions in Australia, a new report has found.
The report to be released on Thursday by the Centre for Workforce Futures at Macquarie University surveyed 466 big businesses and 216 government agencies around the country and found that only 6.7 per cent had clauses in their enterprise agreements dealing with climate change.
It found that significant cuts in carbon emissions had been achieved in European countries when employers and employees were jointly involved in designing and delivering carbon emission schemes.
The study’s lead author, Ray Markey, said it suggested there was wide scope to link collective bargaining with agreed national goals for a reduction in carbon emissions.
“While the Coalition insists on Direct Action and Labor defends carbon pricing, this report finds another option for reducing carbon emissions, through active employee involvement at the enterprise level,” Professor Markey said.
“
Climate change has the potential to radically shift where and how we work, and our workplace institutions need to begin grappling with it immediately
Ray Markey, professor at Macquarie University
“Climate change has the potential to radically shift where and how we work, and our workplace institutions need to begin grappling with it immediately.
“In the EU, the industrial relations system has helped this happen through collective bargaining. However, our research shows that employee participation in carbon reduction in Australia has been limited.”
A high number of universities surveyed had clauses in their enterprise agreements with specific climate reduction measures. Employees were directly involved in identifying the measures.
Many government agencies have changed work practices to reduce carbon emissions.
One company followed an employee’s suggestion to remove one of two fluorescent tubes in its lighting to reduce its electricity costs, without any noticeable difference.
The report said trucking company Linfox had developed sustainability teams, which involved employees identifying carbon emission reduction measures such as driving more safely at consistent speeds which reduced fuel consumption. They have also reduced the time drivers spend idling truck engines while waiting to pick up deliveries.
The strategy reduced emissions by 43 per cent between 2007 and 2013 after introducing a sustainability plan in co-operation with employees.
“There are some significant pockets of industry, and some employers and unions, that have encouraged high levels of employee engagement with climate change mitigation. These examples provide positives pointer for the future,” Professor Markey said.
TAFE NSW had also incorporated sustainability provisions in its trades training courses.
Professor Markey said about three-quarters of the organisations surveyed had increased recycling and had taken steps to reduce energy consumption and waste.
But only a quarter to a third of the companies had changed work practices, introduced new technology or reskilled their workforce.
“There is a lost opportunity here because employees aren’t being engaged sufficiently in reducing carbon emissions either through collective bargaining or through representatives in the workplace, such as unions,” Professor Markey said.
“In England there is a strong green works campaign, which involves agreements between workplaces and unions over green job delegates who co-operate with management in reducing emissions. It is often the people on the floor who know what can be done and often it is simple.”
Germany has a system whereby works councils are required in all medium to large enterprises.
“They are non union delegates elected by all the employees and the law specifies areas they have to be consulted on by employers. Environmental issues is now one of those specified areas,” Professor Markey said.
“There is a lost opportunity in Australia because we are not harnessing the industrial relations system to address carbon emissions in workplaces, which are one of the most significant contributors to emissions.”
