Safe Landing was recently invited to present at the Global Climate Jobs conference in Amsterdam. The conference brought together More than 100 climate justice activists, trade union members and representatives, labour organizers, researchers and academics, from around 15 countries and 4 continents. During the conference we hosted open and frank discussions about radically just policies, about the future of working class organizing, about alliance building between climate, labour and social movements, and about a common road between labour and climate justice movements on the building of social power to stop climate change.
We were invited to run a workshop session to participants on Workers’ Assemblies.
What are “Climate Jobs”?
The conference defined climate jobs as the following:
- New jobs
- In the public sector created in the optic of public service
- Jobs that have a direct impact on cutting GHG emissions in the key sectors for the transition, such as energy, transport, construction, forest management and agriculture
- With a guarantee of professional requalification and priority to employment for workers in polluting sectors
- Dignified jobs, with fair wages and conditions, respecting the rules of environmental protection, hygiene, health and safety at work
Watch Jonathan Neale explain in this video what do we mean with Climate Jobs and learn more about what does it mean to fight for climate jobs: www.globalclimatejobs.org/what-are-climate-jobs-a-video-by-jonathan-neale/
What are Workers’ Assemblies?
We’ve got a full post here on why we need Workers’ Assemblies. The global climate jobs conference represented the cross section between environmentalists, workers, and unions. Often we hear people talk about needing to involve workers in transition plans – but sometimes there’s not enough discussion about how to do it.
The “how” is Workers’ Assemblies. By bringing workers in to the conversation about the future of their work you not only empower them and help them to feel involved, but are able to benefit from their industry experience and knowledge. Workers’ Assemblies can be used to inform and complement existing Trade Union structures and so benefit not only the workers, but the trade unions that represent them.
The workshop
Attended by a good number of the conference participants, what was meant to be a forty-five minute presentation from us turned into a nearly two hour debate where so much of just transitions were discussed. Participants really saw the value in workers’ assemblies, and the role they could play in democratising union structures or workplaces. We’ve done the workers’ assembly presentation a number of times now – sometimes in person and other times virtually. If you’d be interested in us presenting to your organisation about workers’ assemblies then please contact us!
Ready to present on Workers’ Assemblies
The wider conference
During the conference there were open and frank discussions about radically just policies, about the future of working class organizing, about alliance building between climate, labour and social movements, and about a common road between labour and climate justice movements on the building of social power to stop climate change – the topics were varied and involved a lot of heated and healthy debate.
One of the group discussions in the main hall
What’s next?
We had a chance to meet some brilliant people at the conference, and we’re following up work with many (to be announced later!). For now we turn our attention towards our very own Workers’ Assembly – a mini-assembly / ‘deliberative’ workshop on the future of aviation – that will act as a proof of concept in the ongoing discussions we have with trade unions. Learn more here.
