Join us as we dive into new research that shows how unions create safer workplaces by protecting workers from heat stress.
Register to join virtually.
This event will be in English with simultaneous Spanish and Khmer interpretation.
Rising temperatures around the world due to the climate crisis impact us all, especially in our roles as workers.
According to the International Labor Organization, 72% of workers worldwide are affected by heat stress. While outdoor workers–such as those growing our food or building our communities–are among those most affected, workers suffer from heat exposure in factories, warehouses, and even during daily commutes.
The danger of heat stress to workers, as well as broader inequalities in how extreme heat affects different groups, has been increasingly researched and covered in the media, yet proposed solutions often remain focused on individual actions that have little effect given the power dynamics that remain in workplaces.
Through collective bargaining and collective action, unions have long fought for safe and healthy workplaces, from a shorter workday to fire safety to child labor laws. Unions are now also protecting workers from heat stress and other impacts of the climate crisis.
These efforts are really paying off: Recent research with garment, transportation and street vendor workers in Cambodia using thermal heat sensors is showing that one of the biggest differences between how significantly workers were impacted by extreme heat was whether or not they are in a union.
During this event, we will explore the critical role of workers and their unions in designing and promoting inclusive climate adaptation and resilience efforts, and the implications this has for policymakers and employers.
Dr. Laurie Parsons, a leading expert on the social, political and economic aspects of climate change, will share the findings of new heat stress research in Cambodia.
So Somalay, Senior Program Officer for Equality, Inclusion and Diversity at Solidarity Center Cambodia, and Nash Tysmans, Organizer for Asia at StreetNet International, will share experiences of how unions are taking action on heat stress across sectors–including in the informal economy–in Cambodia and beyond.
The webinar will be moderated by Sonia Mistry, Director of Climate and Labor Justice at the Solidarity Center.
The event is organized by the Solidarity Center, the largest U.S.-based international worker rights organization.