Organizers: Hans Böckler Foundation & ETUI

Dario Azzellini will be presenting on the case of Colombia

In person and online, register at: https://www.boeckler.de/de/aktuelle-veranstaltungen-2718-just-transition...

The hybrid conference will present research findings from unions' Just Transition policies and initiatives across 14 countries worldwide from a multi-year research project.

Led by Leeds University Business School’s Professor Vera Trappmann, this hybrid conference will present research into unions' Just Transition policies and initiatives in 14 countries worldwide from a multi-year research project funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation, and offers a space for discussing policy learnings from international perspectives.

Just Transition is contested. Efforts at decarbonisation have widely varying effects on workers across countries, sectors and locations, from offering new opportunities and green jobs to the social risks of unbalanced phaseouts in high-emitting sectors. Workers and trade unions respond to the challenges of transition in a range of ways, including focusing on protecting core industry jobs in the Global North to resisting the destruction of communities and habitats by extractive projects in the Global South. These different experiences have brought about equally different understandings of Just Transition, visions for a post-carbon future, and strategies and instruments for achieving them.

The research you will hear presented is the result of a combined project between 20 researchers from 12 research institutions, led by Leeds University Business School.

Global Perspectives on Labour, Climate Policy and Just Transition welcomes delegates from from European trade unions and union confederations, affected trade unions, policymakers, think-tank representatives and academics with related research.

This conference is taking place in person and online, and will be hosted at the Representation of the State of Lower Saxony, Rue Montoyer 61, Brussels. Please note that you must select your option for attendance on the ticketing page.

Conference programme:

12:00 CET    Arrival and buffet lunch

13:00 Welcome and introductions

13:15 Session 1: Just Transitions for workers
Showcasing and discussing findings from country cases in which unions exhibit some degree of agency and effective channels on institutionalised power, to initiate conversation around workers' needs in the process of post-carbon change.

Germany, UK, US, Quebec

Discussant: Frederik Moch, Head of the Structural, Industry and Service Policy Department at Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund

14:30 Refreshment break

14:45 Session 2: (Just) Transitions for industries
Findings from countries where Just Transition is either not a commonly used concept or where policies to transition whole industrial sectors are pursued by government with regard primarily to the development of the national economy, rather than to the concerns of the workers.

China, Russia, Poland, Malaysia

Discussant: Béla Galgóczi, Senior Researcher at the European Trade Union Institute

16:00 Refreshment break

16:30 Session 3: Just Transitions for communities
Evidencing country cases where unions derive agency, influence and political energy from their communities, and strive to shape ongoing socio-economic change to benefit these communities and their quality of life.

Chile, Brazil, Spain, Colombia (Dario Azzellini), South Africa, Nigeria

Discussant from the International Labour Organization to be confirmed.

18:00     Networking

18:30 Screening of the “Voices from the Green Transition” documentary
Followed by a discussion with Vivian Price, filmmaker, and contributors.

19:00 CET     Conference close