As the impacts of climate change are predicted to be quite big for EFFAT’s sectors (take for example the fact that the food and drink industry contributes to some 23% of global resource use and 18% of greenhouse gas emissions), EFFAT’s workers shall be exposed to mitigation and adaptation actions which are not always very easy.

The ITUC has the pleasure to send you our evaluation of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP15), held in Copenhagen, Denmark as well as a report on trade union activities undertaken inside and parallel to this event.

On ITUC website.

The Outreach ‘Wrap Up’ issue on the Copenhagen Climate Conference is now out and available at:

http://tinyurl.com/OutreachWrapUp

It is full of analysis from stakeholders on what happened and the way forward. Articles from Laura Martin, Sustainlabour and the ITUC.

Fighting climate change will fail to receive public support if there are no measures ensuring social justice. Long-term employment policies and sufficient investment are necessary to ensure a smooth transition to a low carbon economy.

Joint booklet from ICEM, IMF, EMCEF and EMF

Industrial trade union federations representing workers in the metal, chemical, energy and mining sectors in Europe and globally.

16 December 2009, 14H00-15H30

Joint event EMF, IMF, EMCEF, ICEM

Speakers include: Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (former-Danish PM and President of the Party of European Socialists), representatives of the South African government delegation to COP 15

Interview with Judith Kirton-Darling, (EMF Industrial Policy Advisor) and Wolf Jäcklein (EMF Policy Adviser)

Read the full interview here

The European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF) sees climate change as a dangerous reality for all industrial workers. Tackling it effectively requires a clear social response from policy-makers as well as industrial strategies based on low carbon technologies serving to shore up workplaces in European industry in the future.

This was the message delivered by the EMF at today’s seminar led by the ETUC at the World of Work Pavilion in Copenhagen.

The ETUC gathered the European industry federations in the metal, chemical, transport and food sectors this morning for a discussion on low carbon industrial policies.

John Monks, ETUC General Secretary, introduced the seminar by encouraging the participants to think back one hundred years in time to when the world had few territories without European influence. The audiences could recall a few such territories Japan, Korea, Iran and Egypt.

Pictures here.

Tuesday, 15 December 2009

in the World of Work Pavilion

Resolution of the European Metalworkers Federation

For the (EMF), climate change is a dangerous reality which demands a social response at international as well as European, national and regional/local and company levels. We believe that a drive towards new industrial strategies based on low carbon technologies and products can offer opportunities but also challenges for the future of industrial workplaces in Europe, especially in the context of the worst recession for 80 years and an older and broader energy and raw materials crisis.

Article in The Guardian.

The article relates directly to one of the key demands of the EMF. Read the full EMF policy paper on climate change here.

ITUC blog

Hazard's Blog

Outreach is a daily newsletter at COP-15 UNFCCC negotiations in Copenhagen in which Sustainlabour is participating.

The article presents a summary of key trade union priorities presently in the negotiation text.

Here you can download a draft Copenhagen climate agreement prepared by the hosts Denmark that was leaked to the Guardian.

World of Work Pavilion website - unions have solutions

LO-Denmark and the ITUC have jointly organised the " World of Work (WoW)" pavilion in the framework of the next Climate Conference in Copenhagen. The WoW pavillion will take place from 14 to 16 December 2009 in the LO-Denmark Building - Islands Brygge 32 D - 2300 Copenhagen.

For a strong European social and industrial policy to tackle climate change - not just more of the same

Presented to the Belgian Minister of Climate on 2 December 2009.

The evidence for global impact caused by human activity is now overwhelming. The IMF is calling for a strong, legally-binding, comprehensive global agreement ensuring ambitious reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and social justice and long-term employment policies as an integral element of climate policy. Through its work on climate change, IMF and its affiliates are contributing to the global effort to cutting emissions and transforming jobs.

Learn more here.

Copenhagen, 14-16 December 2009

The World of Work (WoW) Pavilion, a three-day space where trade unions from all over the world will present concrete experiences, debate policies and plan for future actions on climate change. The programme for the WoW (14-16 December) and the very easy instructions to get there are attached. Join us!

At its Executive Committee on 21 October, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) adopted a resolution entitled "Climate change, new industrial policies and ways out of the crisis", which will be presented at the forthcoming Copenhagen Summit. The ETUC proclaims the need for an ambitious international agreement and a fair social transition. These same messages are transmitted to the Environment Council being held today and the European Council on 29-30 October.

IMF-ICEM-EMF-EMCEF Meeting on Climate Change
Bad Orb, Germany, 14-15 October 2009

Report from the meeting on IMF website.

ETUC in partnership with EMF and EMCEF.

London, 5 and 6 October 2009

The climate is changing. How about the workers?

The European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Union (EFFAT) analysed, at its Climate Change Conference on 24^th September 2009, the impact of climate change on the sectors agriculture, food production and tourism, and discussed actions to be undertaken by trade unions to mitigate negative consequences of climate change on employment in these sectors.

European Commission webportal on climate change

Climate change is already happening and represents one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing the planet. The European Union is committed to working constructively for a global agreement to control climate change, and is leading the way by taking ambitious action of its own.

ITUC website on climate change

A new section on climate change has been developed on the ITUC website to support trade unions in their efforts to press for the shift towards a more sustainable society and a “green economy” that sustains decent jobs and livelihoods for all.

INVITATION

EFFAT Climate Change Conference: Climate is changing. What about workers?

-Fight climate change-save jobs in agriculture, food and tourism-

Venue: European Economic and Social Committee, Brussels : 24 September 2009

Visit: http://www.effat.be/ccc/