This text is part of the special Syndicalism section
Now that the curtain has fallen on the main stage of COP26, it is time to take stock. For nearly two weeks, politicians and organizations from all over the world reflected, questioned, analyzed and proposed solutions to accelerate the fight against climate change. Among the major themes discussed, that of the just transition for workers was of particular interest to the members of the FTQ present in Glasgow.
In its report made public on November 14, the largest trade union center in Quebec left no room for ambiguity: “We are disappointed by the lack of ambition of our governments”, it could be read. By digging deeper, we understand that the climate conference organized by the United Nations (COP26) is not a failure, however, as explained Denis Bolduc, secretary general of the Federation of Workers of Quebec (FTQ ), reflecting on the words published earlier: “For two weeks all eyes were on Scotland and expectations of world leaders were very high. It is a diplomatic exercise which one guesses not to be easy. All the more so since there is a situation that puts pressure on States to get involved and act quickly. Each time, we managed to take steps and it was again this time. But considering the urgency to act, it does not go far enough. “
Clarify the just transition
According to Mr. Bolduc, when thinking about the effects of climate change, it is important to also consider the issue of justice and social equality in the transition to clean energies: “On the one hand, the transition can be a source of job creation and economic diversification, but conversely, it can also create upheavals in the workplace. We must ensure that people are not negatively affected and, if they are, we must accompany them and support them socially. “
In the process, the FTQ suggests opening social dialogue, consulting all parties concerned by climate change – workers, businesses, communities -, and anticipating the impacts of the energy transition on jobs. “We are asking for the creation of a working group that could dig in order to obtain data on the labor market, analyze and predict the socio-economic effects and reflect on the policies that could be put in place,” specifies Mr. Bolduc. Not to mention the results indicators to measure how fast we are progressing. “
The FTQ also took advantage of COP26 to ask the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, to appoint a deputy minister for the just transition: “If he wants to demonstrate the importance of a just transition and signal that this is a priority for the federal government, an appointment like this would show that we are taking it seriously. “
Playing on the global chessboard
The COP26 allowed the FTQ delegation to multiply meetings with several provincial and federal politicians in a context where the environment and climate change are at the heart of all discussions. The international character should not be neglected for the trade union organization either, since an event of such magnitude is ideally suited to draw inspiration from what is being done elsewhere and learn from those presented as precursors: “The The issue of just transition appeared in the preamble to the Paris Agreement in 2015, following the insistence of international unions. The host country of COP26, Scotland, created the Just Transition Commission in autumn 2018. Ireland has followed suit. Costa Rica, Spain and Norway are among the countries which have put in place credible just transition plans, ”lists Denis Bolduc.
In this regard, the meeting made it possible to forge links with trade unionists from several countries and to observe, at the same time, that when the time comes to address the issue of a just transition for workers and communities, challenges are often the same.
A signature, a commitment
There, the FTQ signed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, becoming the first union federation to join the treaty to ensure that workers’ voices are heard. “There are notions of just transition in this treaty. Knowing that there is no future in fossil fuels, we must plan now how we can reduce our consumption of these energies, what the impacts of this change will be and how we can support the people affected by this transition. If we want to take care of the environment, but also of people, we must ensure an orderly transition to clean energies, and this is what the treaty provides.[…] The idea is not to close the cement factories or the mines, it is to make them less polluting. Until then, each passing year only makes the challenge of reducing greenhouse gases even greater. Let us not forget that the urgency is real, ”recalls Mr. Bolduc.