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During a forum on the “Impact of climate change on employment” last week, the EU says social dialogue is crucial for a successful transition towards a greener economy.



EU Commissioner for Employment, Vladimir Spilda said climate change is now “everybody’s concern” and the structural change that will take place across the economy during the transition towards a greener industry must be anticipated and accompanied.



He said re-skilling will be important since the nature of many jobs will change. But a smooth transition “won’t be possible without a deep involvement of all social partners” on issues such as working conditions, research, education and employees’ consultation. The environmental aspects will be included in every EU policies in the future but there will be no success without a social angle he concluded.



MP Avril Doyle insisted on the importance of involving all major economies in the process including the United States and China to prevent the displacement of jobs where environmental norms are weaker. She said the environmental concern will change the way we do business. She quoted a famous economist who declared “if we act today, it will cost 1% of the world GDP, if we wait another 10 years; it will cost us 15% of that GDP”. Of course it will cost the West the problems we’re responsible for, but the net job creation in the EU27 could mount to 1.7 million by 2010 and up to 2.5 million in 2020.



ILO’s director for Economic and Labour Market analysis, Duncan Campbell, told the audience that jobs in green industries are far more labour-intensive than those in polluting ones. He said the US stimulus package for environment could be more efficient in creating jobs than any packages aimed at increasing consumption. He also said many new jobs will be in developing countries and that new skills will be needed everywhere. He warned the conference that new green jobs must be carefully monitored since all of them are not decent and pledged for a subsidized adjustment to change thanks to social protection. He also emphasized the importance of social dialogue in this transition process and the precursory role played by trade unions in this discussion.



Mr. Medhurst, Director at GHK consulting said training will evolve to get new skills, especially in sectors where major corporate strategy change will happen such as transport and construction. He also pointed out the importance of involving all stakeholders in the debate because the major impacts will be on the quality of jobs and not the quantity.



Sarah Pearce introduced TUC’s initiatives on green workplaces. She said this project responded to a lack of training by union reps. They also involved employers in the activities who now recognized the value of union-led initiatives on green issues. There has been advancement in industrial relations thanks to this project she added. Management and unions now exchange ideas and listen to each other when it comes to green topics. Union representatives became “catalysts” of behavioral change at the workplace.



During workshops many different themes were discussed. Participants said energy-efficiency will lead to significant increases in direct employment while indirect effects (such as the impact on other sectors) are more difficult to estimate. What was certain for everyone is that technological innovation must be promoted and opportunities will emerge in all sectors of the economy contrary to common beliefs.



The most important conclusions of the meeting were that an integrated approach involving consumers, trade unions, governments and employers is compulsory and that social and environmental success can be reconciled with economic growth. The major risks quoted were increasing inequalities between North and South and long term return on investments that may discourage some investors. Lifelong learning and global agreements were mentioned as possible remedies.