Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/202913

Title

Jack Mundey: the social responsibility of labour

Author(s)

Leach, Michael

Abstract

This paper examines Jack Mundey - trade unionist, environmentalist and urban activist - as a cosmopolitan political activist. Several important cosmopolitan themes emerge from Mundey's long history of political and environmental activism. Mundey and the NSW BLF in the 1960s and 1970s spoke of the 'social responsibility of labour'; the idea that industrial struggles should be linked to ecological sustainability, and to the broader arena of international political movements. Fundamental to this core philosophy was Mundey's view that all economic classes and social strata in Western societies share interests in an ecologically sustainable future, particularly in the context of rapid global urbanisation. Other cosmopolitan themes evident in Mundey's activism include the role of the union movement as a ''social conscience'' in the protection of both the natural and built environment; a critique of ''growthmania'' in both capitalist and eastern-bloc socialist societies; and trade union support for other progressive social and political movements. Building upon these core ideas, Mundey expressed wider concerns for the preservation of cultural heritage, and for an inclusive, participatory form of democracy capable of connecting local actions with global problems. More recently, interviews with Mundey reveal a commitment to supporting 'anti-globalisation' campaigns without reverting to simple protectionist or 'closed door' nationalist solutions. This paper argues that the political ideas and alliances Mundey advocated may be seen as important expressions of universalist civic and ecological concerns within an Australian context.

Publication type

Seminar, speech or other presentation

Source

Paper presented at the Australasian Political Studies Association Conference, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 29 September - 01 October 2003

Publication year

2003

Keyword(s)

Cultural heritage;  Ecology;  Globalisation;  Jack Mundey (1929-);  Labour;  Social responsibility;  Sustainability;  Trade unionism;  Urbanisation

Publisher

Australasian Political Studies Association

Publisher URL

http://www.auspsa.org.au/

Copyright

Copyight © 2003.