Just Transition in action – a labour perspective

Context

Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on jobs and working hours. The latest report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) confirms the scale of the crisis: the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs were lost in 2020, and it is projected that 130 million additional jobs could be lost in 2021. More than 1.5 billion workers are in desperate situations in the informal sector of economies.

While COVID 19 has endangered 6 million jobs worldwide in the energy sector, a global sustainable recovery plan with investment in jobs and energy transition could create more than 9 million new jobs. The EU is taking an important step in this direction with its recovery package, which includes a Just Transition Fund that will direct $21 billion to fossil fuel and carbon-intensive regions most impacted by the energy transition as well as other financial and technical supports.

We have a decade left to stabilise the planet. 2021 is critical to demand both ambitious NDCs and Just Transition commitments that get us to 40% emissions reduction by 2030 and to net zero by 2050.

Just Transition is happening. Canada, Germany, New Zealand and Spain have led the way with Just Transition agreements and South Africa and Scotland have Just Transition authorities in place while the UK and Sweden have climate laws and Sweden and India have breakthroughs in cleaner steel and cement.

Session description

This session outlined lessons we can draw from the experience to date for just coal phase-out processes elsewhere. It featured representatives of trade unions with experience or first-hand knowledge of just transition processes, representing countries with powerful just transition stories to share: Canada, the UK, Germany, South Africa and Spain.

Agenda & Speakers

5 mins	Samantha Smith Director Just Transition Centre
10 mins	Sharan Burrow General Secretary International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
45 mins	Tara Peel National Director Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Ainslee Emerson Director for Natural Resources Canada Government of Canada Bill Adams Regional Secretary for Yorkshire and the Humber region Trade Union Congress Rachel McEwen Chief Sustainability Officer SSE Frederik Moch Head of Structural, Industry and Service Policy DGB – Confederation of German Trade Unions
30 mins	Lebogang Mulaisi Labour Market Policy Congress of South Africa Trade Unions (COSATU) Mariano Sanz Confederal Secretary of Environment and Mobility CCOO - Spanish Trade Union Confederation of Workers' Commissions Samantha Smith Director Just Transition Centre
5 mins	Sharan Burrow General Secretary International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)

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