How change is made can be critical to its actual achievement. The challenge for industries and their workforces in manufacturing and mining is figuring out how to “decarbonise while protecting jobs and providing materials needed for the transition to a low-carbon economy while others will likely need to be phased out.” In this article based on three case studies in Yorkshire and the Humber in the UK, Diski raises the fundamental issue of trust between workers and companies when facing the need for making a “just transition” to a low carbon economy. A “social dialogue” approach to creating a regional climate action plan engaging companies, workers, and local government authorities will be key to an industrial transition that achieves climate action goals and creates good jobs. – Peter Clutterbuck
Click here to view original web page at neweconomics.org
“So what does a just transition in Yorkshire and the Humber look like? To begin with, it must involve workers and communities . . . the recently formed Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission has an opportunity to build trust in transition as it formulates its regional climate action plan. It should use this opportunity to create a forum for workers to air their fears and expectations of changes that are bound to affect their lives. While the precise shape of plans should be subject to careful and place-specific co-design, we argue that the government should support the just transition through a national framework that includes a Just Transition Fund to support regions with devolved powers to enable re-skilling, capacity building and engaging workers and unions in the process.” […]
