An international seminar about “Green and Digital Transitions – is everyone getting on-board?”, organized by the National Foundation „CORESI” and NTUC Cartel ALFA in partnership with EZA and financed by the European Union, took place between the 2nd and 5th of March 2023 in Hunedoara, Romania. The seminar was in a face to face format, with 46 representatives of workers’ organisations from Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, France, Moldova and Germany.
The agenda was followed according to the scheduled program and, based on the participants’ feedback and questionnaires, the organization of the event was very satisfactory. At the same time presentations incited a lot of interesting debate, showing it was found meaningful and relevant for the activity of participants and their organisational projects. Moreover, many participants also wrote in their evaluation forms that they consider the topics of the green and digital transitions very important that they should be explored more. The broad topics addressed were:
- The impact of the National Plan for Resilience and Recovery in supporting the green and digital transitions
The green and digital transitions are important pillars of the NPRR, as an instrument for the implementation of the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Digital Strategy. In this regard, the critical aspects are the involvement of the social partners and civil society organizations in the monitoring and implementation, which is less than adequate and very limited. Voting rights and increased institutional capacity would be necessary to make the process more effective.
- From European policymaking to the challenges of the working world. How can social partners be involved in the process?
The broad consensus was that we all need to behave in ways that reduce everyone's carbon footprint to protect the global ecosystem. When we take steps to make the economy greener, we need to do so in a way that explains to people so that they understand and embrace these changes and also create mechanisms to protect them and distribute costs and benefits fairly. Moreover, it was pointed out that the measures adopted to support the green transition should not be themselves a source of pollution. Eastern European trade union representatives reported how far they are from being involved. The complains focus in particular on the ignorance of local authorities and uncoordinated government plans. As concerns consultation, the structural problem is that opinions are advisory. But if trade unions are not involved, they cannot develop into organisations that shape change.
- The green transition – trade union positions on the Green economy
The debate also offered new perspectives on the concern that the measures at EU level may not be sufficiently impactful at a global level if other regions in the world do not take the same measures. However, the experiences and views at local or enterprise level is that in countries like Romania, there is actually no green transition, but only closures. Such that the measures to close down energy capacities have not been complemented with opening new capacities that should replace the closed ones, which create imbalances. Labour mobility is about transition, and one major concern is that jobs are lost and the impact is long term, especially because qualified work is lost.
The experiences from the Rhenish mining area in Germany broadened the scope of the discussion and offered a positive example of succesful process by making the people partners in the transition. Policy planning is essential to achieve this process, at central and regional level. Dealing with an unstable situation is the challenge of the labour market of the future.
- The digital transition – how can we prepare and protect the employees involved in the new forms of work?
Digitisation must be accompanied by the development of digital skills and competences as the jobs of the future wil be different and a great proportion of the operations that take place in society can be automatised. People must be partners of the transition. If not, it will be critical for our democratic societies. Promoting social dialogue, raising people's interest and implementing forms of participation remains an important challenge in all countries.
- Are there winners and losers of these transitions, green and digital? Is a win-win scenario possible?
The European Green Package is too weak in the social dimension, which comes last, after the economic dimension and the political dimension. Digitalisation must not be feared as it brings tools that make our lives easier. Similarly, we don't have to block the greening of the planet, it's the only place in the universe that can host humanity. However, we need to be aware of the dark side of these types of technologies and through cooperation and dialogue we need to find solutions to inhibit the negative aspects that create problems in society. And also, ensure that there will be support for everyone.
During the seminar our invited speakers presented their materials and oferred the participants the chance to comment upon them, to ask questions and to reflect on the data reported. The round-up for the conclusions of the three days of exchanges of ideas and best practices lead to a few points and directions for action that the participants agreed upon:
- The European Green Pact needs to be strenghened in the social dimension;
- While the support for the idea of environmental protection and digital transformation is unanimous, the most effective ways of actions are subject to debate.
- The European discussion shows that the participation of civil society - in particular trade unions and NGOs - is of great importance for socio-ecological change to succeed.
- Promoting social dialogue, raising people's interest and implementing forms of participation remains an important challenge in all countries;
- As jobs are changing and the operations are automatized, digitisation must be accompanied by the development of digital skills and competences.