Transition to renewable energy A trade union concern

1
Transition to renewable energy A trade union
concern

• European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
• Sophie Dupressoir

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Renewables and sustainable development

• Long term, balanced approach environment,
  quality employment, social cohesion, growth
  (White paper 1997, Göteborg Strategy)
• ? Renewable energy, part of the solution
  to climate change
• ? Economic and local development
• ? Social benefits and labour developments
• 1 million net jobs (MITRE)

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A  just transition  towards sustainable energy

• Maximize quality job creation in RE
• part time / full time
• temporary / sustainable
• newly created / maintained
• qualified / non qualified
• Minimize disruption to workers and their families
  in fossil fuels sectors
• Strengthen the public service obligation

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A combination of instruments

• Policies which create the dynamics
• Public investment
• Garanteed prices and financial incentives
• Rebalanced European RD
• Binding targets for RES-E
• Anticipation and management of social impact
  Assessement of the social costs, Employment
  transition programme
• CSR with labour forces participation

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Ensuring concrete change on the ground The
role of the unions(1)

• Workers at company level can encourage conversion
  to renewable energy
• Training and education largest single
  institutional provider of informal adult
  education in the world
• Unions help bridging the gap between industry and
  civil society
• Include environmental targets in collective
  bargaining

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Ensuring concrete change on the ground The
role of the unions (2)

• Germany  Bündnis für Arbeit und Umwelt (2000)
• DGB, NGOs, Industry
• Objectives
• - renovation of 300,000 homes each year
• - creation of 200,000 jobs
• - reduction of CO2 emissions by 2 million
  tons/y.
• - export of renewable energy
• - reduction of heating costs

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Ensuring concrete change on the ground The
role of the unions (3)

• Spain
• 1992 agreement between unions and ENDESA to
  install wind energy capacity for 750 MW by 2000
• 1999 joint commitment between trade unions,
  environmental NGOs and industry to ensure careful
  placement of wind mills.
• Jobs 2.200 (1990), 57.000 (2000), 200.000
  (2010)

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• Thank you
• The ETUC represents 60 million workers in 35
  European countries
• www.etuc.org