Workers must be protected during green revolution

Dec 14 2009 by Kevin Rowan, The Journal

EVEN without the focus of the Copenhagen jamboree there doesn’t seem to be more than a day or so go by without some reference to the challenges and opportunities of shifting to a low carbon economy.

Last week, although there was much to concern workers in the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report, the North East again was given a boost in its pole position to capitalise on the ‘green’ agenda with a further £15m investment in NaREC facilities, plus, of course, the additional investment announced by Peter Mandelson in response to the shocking job losses announced by Tata Corus.

Last week too saw the first formal meeting of the Government’s ‘Just Transition Forum’.

The Forum has been established, broadly, to oversee the revolutionary change from our carbon intensive economy to the much more sustainable one that almost everyone aspires to, except the odd eccentric and Jeremy Clarkson.

The TUC, as part of the Just Transition Forum, is calling on ministers to ensure the livelihoods of UK workers are not endangered in the shift to a low carbon economy.

No small ask, especially in a region like ours with relatively high numbers of high energy user companies and many high carbon intensive companies too.

It is absolutely certain that there will be thousands of new jobs created by companies in the low carbon future; developing and producing electric vehicles, carbon capture and storage technology, and wind and tidal energy turbines, there will also be huge opportunities for North East firms to become world leaders in the new low carbon technologies.

It is critical too, of course, that any shift in the world economy doesn’t come at the expense of workers and their livelihoods. Any new global green deal must have the principle of just transition at its heart, protecting the livelihoods of employees affected by the shift to a low carbon economy.

As such the Government must ensure that any agreement reached in Copenhagen has just transition at its core.

‘Just Transition’ recognises that a shift to a low carbon economy is vital to counter and mitigate against climate change.

Establishing tough targets to cut CO² is important. These will, however, have major implications for workers in the energy, industry and transport sectors in particular.

This is macro-economic restructuring, something that in the past has always resulted in the dislocation of communities and families of working people. But this is not inevitable.

Just Transition calls for meaningful dialogue between government, industry and trade unions on this issue; investment in green jobs; and investment in skills to help workers make the transition.

Long-term planning is key, both in terms of economic development of the low carbon sector, critically also, long-term planning of skills into the occupations that will emerge. Allowing the market to dominate will repeat the mistakes of the oil and gas era, which saw the UK importing most skills. We need to act now to enable workers here today and those entering work tomorrow to benefit from these terrific opportunities.

Kevin Rowan, Regional Secretary, Northern TUC