The executive committee of the European Trade Union Federation (ETUC) adopted an ambitious resolution on European climate change policy in a meeting held on 18-19 October.
Recognising climate change as "one of the most serious threats to our planet", the unions are concerned that the EU's policy on climate change "has completely skipped over the social dimension". The revolutionary changes needed to deal with the impacts of climate change will need social acceptance and therefore worker involvement, according to the ETUC.
ETUC sees opportunities in the form of new jobs but also dangers for some manufacturing sectors, which are the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. The ETUC therefore puts forward the following recommendations:
- Better estimation of the impact that climate change policies will have on employment and skills; social transition measures and more worker participation;
- a review of the guidelines for the EU's employment strategy to "include the objective of exploiting the full potential to create jobs linked to the development of renewable energy sources, energy effiency and public transportation systems;
- to clarify the scope of the EU's new European Globalisation Fund "so that it can be used for workers in sectors exposed to international competition that are the most affected by greenhouse gas emission restrictions";
- to revise the existing directive on European work councils to give workers the right to information and participation on energy and climate-change issues, and;
- more ambitions for European transport policy.
The ETUC resolution also puts forward very ambitious targets for greenhouse gas reductions: 25% by 2020 and 75% by 2050, in comparison with 1990 levels. The EU should make these commitments "independently of international negotiations on the post-Kyoto period".
Finally, ETUC also calls upon the Commission to set up a "European platform for tripartite dialogue on climate change, bringing together the European social partners and the relevant directorates-general of the Commission".
