lang: en
Summary
This resource, produced by the Australian Services Union in 2023, provides guides, factsheets, and case studies for workers organising around climate change and extreme weather related workplace health and safety issues in Australia. It covers hazards such as extreme heat, bushfire smoke, flooding, and psychological stress, and outlines legal rights and organising strategies. The resource aims to empower workers to ensure employers provide safe workplaces amid climate impacts.
Background
Workers in Australia are increasingly facing direct impacts of climate change, including extreme heat, bushfire smoke, disease, flooding, psychological stress, and thunderstorm asthma. Employers are legally obligated to provide a safe workplace, but workers must also organise to ensure they do so. The Australian Services Union compiled these resources to help workers organise around climate-related workplace health and safety issues.
What happened
The Australian Services Union produced and compiled a set of resources for workers organising around climate change and extreme weather related workplace health and safety issues, including factsheets on employer duties under law in Tasmania and Victoria, guides on establishing WHS structures and shutting down dangerous workplaces, and case studies of Australian workers taking action. [source: nv-database] Case studies include ASU members at a Melbourne public library taking action over COVID risks, United Workers Union members walking off the job in warehouses to demand protective equipment, and Maritime Union of Australia members at Port Botany Sydney responding to bushfire smoke and other hazards. [source: nv-database] The resource also includes general organising guides from Labor Notes on choosing issues, organising conversations, and dealing with apathy. [source: nv-database]
Key people & organizations
- Australian Services Union
- United Workers Union
- Maritime Union of Australia
- Labor Notes
Tactics used
The resource combines educational materials, legal factsheets, and case studies to equip workers with knowledge and examples of collective action, such as walking off the job and forming union coalitions, to enforce workplace safety. [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: unknown.
The outcome is unknown as the resource is a guide for organising, not a report on a specific campaign’s result. It provides tools and examples but does not document a particular victory or loss. [source: nv-database]
Lessons
- Workers can use legal rights and union structures to demand safe workplaces in the face of climate hazards.
- Case studies of collective action, such as walkouts, can inspire and guide other workers facing similar issues.
- Coalition-building between unions and community groups strengthens organising efforts.
Sources
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via
worker_casestudies_v2.py