Decarbonization and Industry 4.0 must have a fair transition in terms of employment

The high-level discussion that will take place on the actions that nations must take to counteract the effects of climate change (COP27), such as decarbonization, force us to consider a just transition in terms of employment, for which the union organization IndustriALL and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, presented the “Trade Union Guide to Good Practices for a Just Transition”.

The guide aims to protect “workers’ livelihoods, now and in the future. Thus, each step of change, such as decarbonization, Industry 4.0, digitalization, etc., must establish as a top priority the economic life of each worker and the community in which they live.”

The global union federation representing 50 million workers in the mining, energy and manufacturing sectors, IndustriALL reported that they are convinced that without a meaningful, comprehensive and well-funded just transition plan in every corner of the planet, “ the cost of decarbonization will be astronomical for millions of workers and their communities, and will contribute to widening the already historic inequality and increasing gender inequality”.

In that sense, it details that this just transition should be focused in particular on those in industries that may be shaken by efforts to limit greenhouse gases or by the introduction of new technologies.

“Employers, governments and unions must work together through social dialogue and in good faith to ensure adequate communication and support, training and education, redeployment of affected workforce, investment in affected communities, as well as the creation of quality jobs in new sectors”.

This scenario comes after the commitments made in the Glasgow Pact of 2021, the Paris Agreement of 2015 and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that, if fulfilled globally, will mean a massive transition for millions of workers.

“Carbon emissions do not respect borders, and neither do companies who, for decades, have moved production in search of the lowest wages possible,” the document states.

The just transition rests on four pillars: Anticipating changes to ensure an orderly transition; sustainable industrial policy; strong social support programs; creative, worker-centered job adjustment programs.

Regarding job creation, the organizations indicate that “we must demand that, where new jobs are created, there are guarantees in place to ensure that salaries are equal to those of positions that have become superfluous due to decarbonisation or the introduction of a new technology, while offering decent employment instead of precarious and irregular work”.

Another possibility could be that of a global green minimum wage and a reduction in working hours as society reinvents employment in the economy of the future.