Introduction

The crisis of work with which we are concerned in this book is a product of some notable crises that are at work, namely the harmful consequences of intensified neoliberal capitalism, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the escalating climate emergency. In this final chapter we consider the prospects for transcending the crisis, starting with an emphasis on how work can be made fairer, healthier and greener, particularly by means of a more empowered workforce, represented by stronger trade unions.

Fairer, healthier and greener work – empowered workers and unions

In a context of greater pressures for re- regulation, and amid escalating activism and contention, market fundamentalism may itself be in crisis (see Chapter 8), as people reject the profoundly exploitative model of work with which it is associated. They are increasingly rejecting prolonged wage stagnation and aspiring to improved employment rights and protections. Whether or not a shift in the balance of power away from capital and towards labour is occurring (O’Connor, 2022b), there is clearly a growing expectation that moderating employers’ flexibility is desirable and that workers should be better valued. Indeed, the demands of a ‘just transition’ for the purpose of tackling the climate crisis makes transcending neoliberal capitalism and the – socially and environmentally – unsustainable model of work and employment which characterizes it all the more imperative.

In the field of work and employment relations, there are incipient signs of a greater concern with workers’ interests. Consider, for example, the growing attention being devoted to the ‘good work’ agenda, based on the idea, first of all, of determining certain measures of job quality – for example, pay and rewards, job design, health, safety and well- being and voice – and then advancing ways of improving them (Dobbins, 2022b). The growth in the number of employers who have voluntarily chosen to pay workers a ‘real’ living wage demonstrates the potential effectiveness of interventions driven by a corporate commitment to operating ethically (Heery et al, 2023). The importance of such efforts, along with calls to address other troublesome aspects of contemporary work, through demands for a four- day week, for example, or for workers to have greater scope to ‘disconnect’ from their work outside of standard working hours, should not be disregarded. These things can make a positive difference to people's working lives.