Relationships between management and trade unions. One of our objectives was also to understand relationships between management and trade unions, which represent organized bodies of workers. Trade unions were considered as particularly important and powerful actors, as they play an important role in all types of organizations and many times they vertebrate the organization, have expertise in pushing issues on the organizational agenda and negotiating changes, and can thus exercise important bottom- up pressure for changing production processes and practices in the workplace. Our results revealed that although unions have ideas and suggestions concerning the environment, they are not at the forefront of their concern. Whether they are voiced and become part of the negotiation package with management depends on the commitment of individual unionists. It is not the union as an organisation for whom environmental issues are central, but individuals. Practices are suggested by individual workers, whose environmental concerns are anchored in their life history. If they have important positions in the union, they may be able to transfer these “individual” concerns into union concerns. xxx.xxxxx‐xx0.xxx The dilemma of having to choose between protecting jobs and protecting the environment runs through all trade union efforts to develop environmental policies. The question is under what conditions this dilemma can be solved. One window of opportunity that has been developed by Volvo workers is the perspective of conversion (Xxxxxxxxxx, 2012). This would combine a strategy of protecting jobs and improving working conditions by giving workers more autonomy, with a strategy of developing products and production process that are environmentally sound. While workers have made suggestions on improving pro-environmental practices in the workplace through their trade unions, they have had no results. As in the case of oil industry trade unionists, there are more urgent issues that the union is concerned with. The latest development is the decision of Volvo headquarters to move the assembly work in Umeå to Gothenburg and France. This would cost around 600 workplaces in Umeå, which only has 100 000 inhabitants. Such issues have directed the focus of the union to working conditions and the need to defend workplaces. Working conditions, workers’ satisfaction and workers’ autonomy are necessary, though not sufficient conditions for an environmentally conscious workforce and for the ability of unions to engage in environmental ...
