Today had a theme of union solidarity and just transition through workers’ rights…well, that’s what we’re here for so why not?

I passed the usual women workers on my way to the shuttle bus stop, sweeping the roads with their natural Azeri-style brooms; the old and the new, the grand and the modest observed side by side…

In our morning TUNGO meeting we had an introduction from Igor, a trade unionist oil worker employed by BP, from Baku, who described how BP had come to Baku and was treated “like a spoilt child” and given what they wanted, without any labour rights observed. Workers were facing 12 hour days, 6 days a week and had issues with their (Scottish) boss. Eight months after taking collective action Igor was suspended but later won the battle in court and over time the company has begun to work better with the union. They now act together to try to avoid water pollution and other initiatives but the workforce are concerned about the phasing out of fossil fuels- will they still have jobs? Igor was responded to by several reps from around the world assuring him there is work beyond fossil fuels and just transiton can be done.

Other union reps reported back on the COP talks from yesterday. In the “global stocktake” part of the finance talks, 1.3 million is the figure needed for climate finance but the global North were refusing to pay up unless Saudi and China also came on board…Australia and Canada, though, have included worker’s rights in their draft texts.

Yesterday there had been a consultation on Just Transition which several of us had taken part in so a significant union voice had been heard. I reported back that there seemed to be a misunderstanding amongst some other constituencies that we only represent workers in the “formal” sectors (thus forgetting women, youth, the marginalised etc) while the reality is that we put lots of work in to try to organise those in the informal sectors, the so-called “gig economy” and amongst lower paid and less unionised groups. Others spoke up on this too. In fact it has been a running theme this COP that there is an education to do around the role and function of unions; one negotiator, when Tony introduced himself as the TUC rep, had never heard of the TUC: “What’s that?”!

Several reps gathered for a coffee and chat straight after this meeting (knowing the queues get VERY long later…) and we shared experiences from our own unions and the way we operate. UK union reps then sent a message through to the UK negotiators requesting detail on their announcements made yesterday around their “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) to the Paris agreement to stick to 1.5. The answer came back later that the detail (in which hopefully we won’t find the devil!) will be announced by February 2025. However, according to definitions within COP agreements, and mentioned by Bert in our meeting reported here next, this should not simply be an announcement but rather a social dialogue that we are able to feed into; it should not come to us as a surprise.

Many of us headed to the Just Transition pavilion next to hear stories and share knowledge from across the world around just transitions in these NDCs. I learned here that Indonesia are slashing their emissions by 93.5% by 2045. The UK figure is 81% but by an earlier date, and remember, Boris’s earlier pledge was in the 60s; it’s all relative. As with the UK pledge, mentions were made of “decent jobs” and “green jobs” but these were not defined so we were left not knowing whether countries would adhere to the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) agreed definition which includes the right to organise, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. An ILO speaker informed us that of all the NDCs since July 2024, 130 mention employment but only 20 of these mention “decent” work.

A speaker from Antigua and Barbuda then urged us of the need to collect evidence on who is most affected by transition in the light of the fact that in some cases, for example, men in heavy industry in the US and elsewhere have turned to populist/nationalist politics as a result of feeling excluded; this cannot be ignored and a proper just transition guards against it. The point was also made that your average Joe public has never heard of an NDC; but when trade unions are excluded so often from climate discussions, is it any wonder?

Lunch was taken on the floor by the bins (why are there never enough seats?!), frantically preparing the next meeting which was supporting the Nigerian Labour Congress in their campaign to be included in their own NDCs.

I talked about the transition for UK unions from our last government of 15 years to the new “Labour” government, including our uncertainty around what might be realised, our hopes and demands. As examples I told the stories of Ratcliffe-on-Soar, our last coal-fired power station with its just transition to closure with good finance thrown in to protect workers, and the controversial Port Talbot situation with the closure of the blast furnace and failure to replace with an electric arc furnace until 2027 leading to thousands of job losses with no protections in place.

It was great to find so much in common with Ibrahim of the NLC:

There is much sharing and collaboration that can be done; these comrades have already contributed to our UK Green Jobs Alliance newsletters and will do so willingly again to tell their stories. More than one speaker quoted today the African saying “If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together”.

I was therefore delighted to spend time afterwards with a young educator and indigenous activist from Uganda, Darren Namatovu, who is good friends with Mitzi Jonelle Tan who recently spoke in the UK on a speaking tour, partly hosted by NEU, to campaign around the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. We waved down the phone to Mitzi and will be staying in touch to share ideas!

After taking time out to join the longest coffee queue ever and accidentally calling home whilst trying to juggle my coat, bag, coffee cup and bank card, I then attended the “official opening” of the Just Transition Pavilion. The three memorable messages here were the minister from the Biden/Harris government (who explained that they have put so much in place that there is much that will not be able to be undone), the indigenous speaker who urged us all to include nature in the just transition so that old mines and extraction sites can be restored for biodiversity and then our Nigerian brother Eche who had the last word stating “none of the transition can happen without the workers”!

And on that note the final act of togetherness today was local delicacies eaten for dinner alongside UK and Canadian trade unionists: Let’s go together!

And just as I was signing off, the photo came through of my brief meeting with our Brent West MP yesterday at the COP UK pavilion; Barry Gardiner is a politician who knows all about solidarity having visited to support our schools every time we have held picket lines. Barry believes in sustaining education but knows you have to look after the educators too.