#EcoTra – A smooth and fair ecological transition – for workers, with workers

The green transformation is a process that the European Union needs to accelerate in order to achieve long term economic growth and “climate neutrality”.

The climate neutrality is an ambitious objective that requires a significant commitment from the European Union, but also from the national public and private sectors. In the short and medium period, disruptive implications will affect enterprises, public administrations and workforces across Europe. To undertake the ecological transition does not simply mean “greening” the current system. It means adopting a new economic and social model, and this will have a considerable impact on the future of work and the workforce.

Considering workers’ needs is an important element to make the delivery of the European Green Deal (EGD) socially fair. A just transition should not only apply to private-sector workers but also public sector staff. For CESI, as a voice of public sector employees and civil servants from across Europe, there is hence a crucial need for active involvement of workers and trade unions, also from the public sector, in the delivery of the EGD.

Especially in the context of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, as well as the digital and green transitions, re-training and re-skilling of workers will be essential to ensure a smooth and fair transition. The action will therefore strengthen and further develop the social dialogue and collective bargaining of CESI members at the national level when it comes to the green transition and its impact on the workforce.

This project foresees:

  • bilateral meetings in videoconference to build awareness, knowledge and capacity around the EGD, and facilitate the identification with and ownership of the EGD’s objectives within the CESI trade union network leadership (presidents and secretary generals of the member organisations);
  • a series of meetings (online/face-to-face) with the representatives of national trade unions gathered in 4 Expert Commissions, 2 cross-sectoral Commissions, 2 Experts Groups, 8 Workshops at the national level with workers and trade-unionists to explore the impacts that the EGD may have not only for citizens and businesses, but also on the organisational architecture and employment and working conditions of the workforce in the different public services and levels of public administrations;
  • a European conference and a digital communication campaign to discuss the findings, develop a series of guidelines/recommendations on how public administrations and services could adjust their internal organisation, social dialogue, collective bargaining, and information and consultation practices, as well as prepare their personnel to ensure a delivery of the EGD which takes due account of the needs and ideas of the staff.

To know more about the Green Deal and its impacts on workers, click here: https://bit.ly/EcotraCommsPackage