Durham, 2025

Following in Harry Potter’s footsteps, researchers presented their findings right next to the “Chamber of Secrets” at Durham University, the venue of the #ILERA 2025 Congress. The city’s cathedral, used as a filming location for Hogwarts scenes in the early Harry Potter movies, this time hosted over one hundred researchers gathered under the overarching theme “Navigating Challenging Times.”

At the congress, I presented the paper “Revitalizing Trade Unions and ESG: The Role of Trust between Trade Unions and the Boards of Multinational Corporations.” The qualitative study shows that, after 50 years of trade union decline, revitalization is possible when built on interpersonal and procedural trust between multinational corporations (represented by boards of directors) and people (represented by trade unions), working together to promote the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure a sustainable future for the communities in which they operate.

Traditionally, trade unions have contributed substantially to the Social (S) dimension of ESG. However, in the face of neoliberal challenges, a capitalism matured over two centuries, and the growing environmental pressures caused by pollution and climate change, this contribution proves insufficient. There is a need to expand into the Governance (G) dimension – through trade union representation on boards of directors – and especially into the Environmental (E) dimension, where trade unions can become key actors in the green transition.

Symbolically, the conference concluded with a dinner in the great hall of Durham Castle, built by William the Conqueror over a thousand years ago – a setting that reminded participants how much the past and the future can coexist in the search for new forms of social organization.

#ILERA2025