Page 284 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 1

STS429 Catherine S.
8. Social dialogue contributes to ensuring that the green transition is a
just transition
Social dialogue has contributed to making environmental governance
more labour-friendly by promoting frameworks, legislation and policies that
include both labour and environmental concerns. This illustrates the priorities
established by the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development and the principles
embedded in international labour standards, including the importance of
consultation and collective bargaining. At the international level, international
framework agreements (IFAs) are voluntary agreements between
multinational enterprises and global union federations. Of the 104 IFAs
reviewed for this report, 61 include environmental provisions on such issues
as respect for the environment as a corporate responsibility and waste
management measures, particularly in the manufacturing, energy, mining and
automotive industries. At the national and enterprise level, while the number
of collective agreements containing green clauses is still limited, they are used
by employers and workers to reconcile social and economic objectives with
environmental concerns. Emerging examples indicate that workers and
employers, through social dialogue, have identified areas where the
environmental impact could be mitigated without reducing or negatively
affecting employment or working conditions. In the longer term, the
protection of environmental rights at work could also be strengthened in
national policies and legislation.

9. Synergies between social protection and environmental policy can
support both workers’ incomes and the green transition
Social protection systems are the first line of protection against the
negative effects on income of different risks, including those stemming from
climate change and local environmental degradation. They support the
economy by stabilizing household incomes. Four policy areas offer particular
synergies between social protection and environmental sustainability:
unemployment protection, cash transfer programmes, public employment
programmes (PEPs) and payments for ecosystem services (PES).
Unemployment protection schemes and cash transfer programmes play a
critical role in supporting workers facing job loss related either to the transition
to environmental sustainability or to a natural disaster. They facilitate the
transition to new jobs, particularly when combined with skills development
and job placement or relocation measures. In addition, access to safe and
regular labour migration opportunities can foster economic diversification and
increase adaptive capacity through remittance and skills transfer. Cash transfer
programmes contribute to preventing poverty and reducing the vulnerability
of households and communities.

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