Ecoprecarity: exploring the nexus between labor and ecological struggles

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic represented a critical conjuncture for investigating the nexus between ecological and labor struggles. To grasp this nexus, the authors reinterpret the concept of ecoprecarity. Ecoprecarity considers precariousness from an ecosystemic perspective to describe the vulnerabilities of working relations, human existence and ecological balance. The analysis focuses on whether and how ecoprecarity was discursively represented by trade unions and grassroots organizations in labor struggles during the pandemic. Through the observation of two case studies in Italy, the agrifood and logistic sectors, empirical results from a discursive scrutiny show that the contiguity of ecological and labor struggles is seldom present. Yet, ecoprecarity seems to emerge as an effective mobilizing frame when employed as it builds solidaristic connections among different claims.