Workers want a Just Transition at COP30 in Belém

UN climate negotiations in Bonn in June did not bring the progress that is needed to stop the climate emergency and take the devastating impact on workers and their families into account. As a sign of hope, climate negotiators could agree on a text to start discussions on a Just Transition Mechanism at COP30 conference in Brazil later this year. Trade unions will step-up their campaign together with social movements to make governments accountable and deliver climate solutions that make a difference.

The global trade union movement is looking forward to COP30 in Brazil with a lot of hope and high expectations. At the preparatory conference SB62 in June in Bonn, the Brazilian government presented their plans. The result of two weeks of negotiations is disappointing. There is no agreement on the Just Transition mechanism that trade unions and social movements are asking for.

Boitumelo Molete from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has participated in the negotiations since 2021at COP26 in Glasgow. According to her, “the majority of the climate negotiators are completely disconnected from the realities of the workers due to the climate emergency. Our members get sick and lose income during heat waves while they have only limited access to health care protection and other social protection measures. Especially women are hit very hard by this. The recent floods in the Eastern Cape displaced families and destroyed homes. Yet, no loss and damage mechanisms are in place to support recovery. Communities are left to fend for themselves, with no resources, no protection, and no recourse. This cannot be what climate response and action is. We are witnessing the triple crisis of poverty, inequality and unemployment is deepening. Youth unemployment stands at over 60%, yet there are no accessible pathways for education, training, reskilling or re-employment. Promises are made; however, there is no infrastructure, no access, and no urgency to support those being left behind.”

Climate negotiators in Bonn discussed how countries can step up the social dimension of climate change. Trade union representatives such as Boitumelo Molete see a direct and positive connection between providing better jobs, better social protection, training and skills to deliver the ambitious climate policies that are needed to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. “Trade unions are the official representatives of the workers and they need a place at the table to negotiate agreements through social dialogue and collective bargaining. Meaningful social dialogue should take place at the company level, in the sectors and at the national and international level. In South Africa we have the National Economic Development and Labour Council Nedlac that is the vehicle by which Government, labour, business and community organisations seek to cooperate, through problem-solving and negotiation, on economic, labour and development issues. These institutions need to be made much stronger because they deliver social justice for the workers.”

The global trade union movement has concrete demands for governments to include these social dialogue practices in international climate negotiations. Governments at the UNFCCC need to decide on the establishment of a Just Transition Mechanism where they can share good practices and learn from each other. There is also a need for accountability. Boitumelo believes: “Every country should integrate the impact on workers and their communities of climate change and climate policies in the national climate plans and in the national consultation mechanisms. Countries should report about this at the UNFCCC. Workers and their unions should also get a formal seat at the table about these issues at the UNFCCC. Nothing about us without us!”

At the climate conference in Bonn there was a strong demand from developing countries to put ‘trade-restrictive unilateral measures’ on the agenda. The countries from the Global South demand the right to industrial development and see some climate measures from the developed countries as protectionist trade measures. This is also confirmed by Boitumelo: “We need a fair chance for industrial development to bring prosperity to our people. With unemployment and poverty still rampant it is unacceptable that our countries do not get access to technology and finance for genuine development that effectively deals with poverty.”

At the end of two weeks of negotiations in Bonn there was agreement on a text to start discussions in Belém at the end of the year in Brazil. While this text still leaves all the options open, it is an important step forward. The global trade union movement will organize and mobilize together with social movements to have workers on top of the agenda in Belém. To conclude, Boitumelo Molete demands: “We want an agreement on a Just Transition Work Programme that delivers for workers, their families and communities. A Just Transition is not a slogan; it must be a lived reality, grounded in fairness, consultation, and equity. We, the workers on the frontline, demand a real Just Transition. Amandla!”