Climate Change Talks: Compromise, Consensus and Solidarity in Cancun
AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council Director Bob Baugh was a member of a global union delegation led by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) attending the new round of United Nations climate change negotiations in Cancun, Mexico. This is the last of a series of blogs on the talks. Read the other blogs here, here and here.
As the climate change talks wrapped up last Friday, the two weeks of hard work by trade union members paid off when negotiators included language calling for a “just transition” to a cleaner environment in the final version of the long-term cooperative agreement (LCA) text that the various governments would discuss. A just transition to a green economy means workers would have the right to a voice in their workplace, the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively and access to training on the latest technology.
Earlier in the day, ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow put it on the line:
Governments must raise their sights. We expect ambitious targets, we expect fair climate financing for the most vulnerable nations, we expect a deal on REDD [Reducing Emssions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation], we expect a commitment to transparency and we demand the respect for workers which requires the commitments of all governments to a just transition.
Climate Change Talks: Unions Still Optimistic on ‘Just Transition’ Language
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AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council Director Bob Baugh is a member of a global union delegation led by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) attending the new round of United Nations climate change negotiations in Cancun, Mexico. This is the third of a series of blogs on the talks. Read the first blogs here and here.
Many people had modest expectations for this round of climate talks. But there is still a chance they will be pleasantly surprised.
As the negotiations continue, our international union delegation is troubled by the absence of “just transition” language in the text on a global shared vision for the future
A just transition to a green economy means workers would have the right to a voice in their workplace, the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively and access to training on the latest technology.
Global Union Leaders: Focus on Jobs, Not Deficits
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Global union leaders called on G-20 governments to deliver the promise made at the Pittsburgh summit to “put quality employment at the heart of the recovery” and focus on creating jobs in the short term to sustain the recovery and reduce public deficits in the medium term.
The union leaders from the G-20 countries are warning their governments that efforts to cut budgets and impose fiscal austerity now could plunge the international economy into another, deeper recession. The statement was issued yesterday by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Council (TUAC) to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).
‘Just Transition’ to Green Economy Gains Support at Bonn Climate Change Talks
AFL-CIO Union Industries Director Bob Baugh is a member of a global union delegation attending the next round of the United Nations climate change negotiations in Bonn, Germany. This is the first of a series of blogs on the talks.
Last December, the world’s leaders left Denmark after producing the Copenhagen Accord as a starting point for a new climate agreement. Most participants recognized the significant progress made by the leaders of the largest carbon emitting nations who hammered out a series of breakthrough actions. Only five countries—Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Sudan—refused the accord.
Just Transition to Green Economy Would Create Jobs, Profits
A just transition to a green economy is the only path toward building the broad support needed to combat climate change and to creating and retaining quality jobs and decent work, AFL-CIO Policy Director Damon Silvers said.
Speaking yesterday at the U.N.’s Investor Climate Risk Conference in New York City, Silvers said investors, especially those who manage workers’ pension funds, must change their investment strategies and lead the way to a stronger, greener future.
Silvers delivered the speech on behalf of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who was called to meet with President Obama on health care.
