COP21 and the Paris Agreement: A starting point, not a finish line

IndustriALL Global Union’s 50 million affiliated workers in the mining, energy and manufacturing sectors will be among those first and most affected by necessary measures to control climate change. That is why IndustriALL has engaged strongly in the discussions, demanding that a fair global deal be struck, accompanied with strong social protections, policies for job creation and decent work in sustainable industries, and a Just Transition for workers in affected sectors

Jyrki Raina, IndustriALL general secretary says:

The Paris Agreement must be seen as a starting point, not a finish line. It creates an institutional framework that has all the necessary ingredients to succeed. Whether it actually does, or not, is now up to us. IndustriALL must be ready to lead the way forward.

There is the ambition to hold “global average temperature to well below 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels”. There is acknowledgement that a transformation of the economy is coming. There are references, although weak, to needed financial and technical support for developing nations.

Just Transition, a key demand of the labour movement, is incorporated with clear language asking the Parties to take into account “the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities”. This text appears in the preamble to the Agreement rather than in the body where we would have preferred it, but it nevertheless is a political commitment of the signatories.

On whether the Paris Agreement will limit damage to the earth's climate systems while protecting workers, creating decent work and quality jobs, and respecting human and labour rights, Brian Kohler, IndustriALL's sustainability director says:

As always, it will be up to the labour movement to see that it happens. No-one else will do it for us. We are ready.

Dear Signet, don’t let Rio Tinto take the sparkle out of Christmas

With global sales of US$6 billion annually, Signet’s Kay, Jared and Zales are found across the US, Peoples and Mappins stores are throughout Canada, and H. Samuel and Ernest Jones shops are visible on UK high streets.

The unions are calling on Signet to abide by its own Responsible Sourcing Policy. This policy declares the company “committed to the responsible sourcing of our products and the respect of human rights, and we expect the same from our suppliers around the world.”

But Rio Tinto is a notorious violator of labour rights, communities and the environment, as documented in the report Rio Tinto: The way it really works and on the IndustriALL Rio Tinto campaign page:

Fatalities at worksites in six different countries in 2015
Thousands of grievances unresolved by management at iron ore operation in Labrador, Canada
An apparent increase in the use of insecure, precarious work around the world despite billions of dollars in sales
Destruction of indigenous sacred sites and vital natural water supply in Mongolia

Although the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has certified Rio Tinto, unfortunately the RJC is highly flawed. It is neither independent – it is governed by industry, excluding labour, civil society and impacted communities. Nor is it transparent – it is impossible for the public to determine whether an RJC-certified company complies with RJC’s own certification requirements, let alone international human rights and environmental standards.

Unions and others have raised concern about Signet’s sourcing practices multiple times. ILWU, Unifor and USW organized demonstrations in the lead up to Mother’s Day this May at Signet stores in the U.S. and Canada. This followed demonstrations at Signet stores in the UK by unions and civil society organizations from a dozen countries.

IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Jyrki Raina states:

We are again urging Signet to demand its supplier Rio Tinto change its practices that are bad for workers, communities and the environment. So far Signet has remained mostly silent while Rio Tinto has responded with threats.
We’ll continue to raise our concerns until Rio Tinto changes its practices and behaves like the responsible company it claims to be.

IndustriALL COP21 blog

Day 14 – Saturday, 12 December

Today the final version of the Paris Decision and Agreement was released. Although my first reaction was disappointment at not achieving everything that we in the labour movement hoped for, upon reflection my opinion of it is rising somewhat. What should I say about an agreement that is weak and imperfect in several areas, but which was the best that could be politically achieved at this moment, and may nevertheless mark a turning point for our civilization and the planet we live on?

Be cautious what you read and what you believe about this complex document. There are of course those who will jump in with a quick analysis of the Paris Agreement, whether or not they have read it or understand it. There are those who will be quick to condemn it, no matter what is in it. There are those who will be quick to celebrate it, no matter what is in it.

This Agreement deserves better – it is potentially, at least, a last-minute chance to save civilization from the impacts of climate change. It deserves careful thought and reflection on its strengths, weaknesses, and likely impacts. I will read it, and re-read it, and offer my analysis in this space. Stay tuned!

Day 13 – Friday, 11 December

Today was a day of watching, and waiting. Intense negotiations continued on the remaining barriers to a Paris Agreement. Actions were organized to reinforce civil society's view that human rights, labour rights, and Just Transition deserve to be in the body of the text, not merely in the preamble. (see video)

The "final" version is expected to be released tomorrow morning. I will post my analysis of it on this blog. Stay tuned!

Day 12 – Thursday, 10 December

After hard hours of negotiations, late Thursday night, a near-final version of the Decision and Agreement were released – although there are still areas under discussion. My reaction to it can be described as disappointed, but not utterly depressed. Disappointed, because where there were options in previous versions, the least-ambitious ones have been those most frequently selected. Not utterly depressed, because there are some features of the draft Paris Agreement that are good.

Whatever the outcome of the Paris talks, it will be a beginning and not an end-point. IndustriALL must be ready to lead the way forward.

Before attempting a first analysis of what is the good, the bad, and the ugly in the Paris Agreement, I would remind the reader that the Paris Agreement has a fundamentally different structure than the Kyoto Accord which it replaces. The Kyoto Protocol was a “top down” system that imposed emissions targets and included systems for verifying them. However, developed countries considered it unfair and many simply failed to meet their targets or withdrew from it entirely, without any effective consequences. The Paris Accord, on the other hand, is a sort of “bottom up” system that encourages countries to set their own targets and embed those targets in their own legislation. Even if some countries do not make them a legislative commitment, it does make the Paris approach more politically achievable.

Although the Agreement is a legal document, in practical terms enforcement of it will be difficult or impossible without the political will of the Parties to make it effective. In my opinion enforcement will be mainly in the form of political pressure, and occasionally legal action, from constituents. The wording of the Agreement certainly provides the space for Parties to do the right things; but provides little resembling penalties for Parties that do not.

Recall labour's three top demands going into these talks: (1) to raise ambition and realize the job-creation potential of climate action; (2) to deliver on climate finance and support the most vulnerable; and (3) Commit to securing a Just Transition for workers and their communities.

Guided by these three goals we continue to lobby for better positioning of Just Transition, human rights, greater ambition, a clear financial mechanism and clearer measurement, reporting and verification of the Intended Nationally-Determined Contributions (INDCs), but the window of opportunity to get last-minute changes is swiftly closing.

Those who are interested may read the current draft text here: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/da02.pdf

Here are my observations on the draft as it exists at this time (remember, there are still negotiations in progress):

The Paris Agreement and post-Paris Process

• The Paris Agreement may be the best that can be politically achieved at this moment in time. The French Presidency has worked hard, and effectively, to prevent a catastrophe such as Copenhagen's COP15. As a political document, it sets out a process: not only does it create an institutional framework based on international negotiations, which has been in question since the slow death of the Kyoto Protocol; but sets a tone for a positive path forward. Indeed, the signals it sends to governments and investors may be its most important achievement. The framework has flexibility and universal application; although it is an unfilled vessel with respect to many of the specifics we would like to see.

Ambition

• The stated levels of ambition (article 2) are to “(a) Hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C, recognizing that this would significantly reduce risks and impacts of climate change; (b) Increase the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production; (d) Make finance flows consistent with a pathway towards such low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.” These are fine, but the mechanisms to achieve them are so weak as to make them mainly aspirational. Particularly worrying are the lack of clearly defined mechanisms for measuring, reporting, and verifying the INDCs.

Just Transition

• Just Transition is in the Agreement, although not in the best place: it is in the preamble. The wording, however, is clear and concise; better in some ways than past formulations: (paragraph 10) “Taking into account the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities.” Other human rights are equally in the preamble. We would very much have preferred these to be referenced in the body of the Agreement (attached to, say, Article 2) rather than in the preamble. However, having the words in the Agreement at all represent a considerable achievement – after the Lima COP there was no guarantee that the words would even appear. I think that whether they are in the preamble or the body, our task will be the same: to lobby and campaign for our national governments to accept that a political commitment to their workforces has been made in COP21, and pressure them to deliver on that commitment.

Finance

• Options are still on the table. A floor of USD 100 billion per year has been agreed upon, which is good, but the arguments about who should contribute to it, and how much, continue. This is perhaps the most difficult part of the agreement still to be resolved at this time. It is largely in this area that realizing the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility”, a requirement of the UNFCCC, is still a factor.

Review

• There will be a 5-year review cycle but a first review (described as a “facilitated discussion”) will take place in 2019. It is not clear how a facilitated discussion will close the gap between announced INDCs and necessity!

Loss and Damage

• The recognition that there will be loss and damage as the result of climate change has been under discussion for several COPs, resisted by developed countries who seem to believe that accepting loss and damage will create the expectation of liability and compensation. This is not actually the case, but the arguments to weaken these references, continue. In fact, there is no mechanism in the text to deliver anything to countries that may suffer climate loss or damage.

Day 11 – Wednesday 9 December

I remain optimistic that a credible deal will result from COP21, but as the final hours approach, the draft text remains weak in many areas. There are still large areas of bracketed text and text presented as options. The choices made about which to include, which to exclude, and which to modify will make the difference between a fairly strong Paris Agreement and an unacceptably weak Paris Agreement.

One of the key areas not yet agreed to in the draft Paris Agreement, is the inclusion of language on human rights, women's rights, indigenous peoples' rights. December 10 is International Human Rights Day. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – in Paris. The symbolism should not be lost on the Party negotiators. It is simply untenable to produce an agreement on climate change on this day, in this city, that does not speak of human rights.

The overall target, or level of ambition, is still under discussion. Existing Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), the commitments already made by Parties, are insufficient to guarantee that global warming will be maintained at less than 3 Celsius degrees above pre-industrial levels, so debating whether the target should be 2 degrees or 1.5 degrees may seem a bit esoteric. There are good scientifically-justifiable reasons for setting the target at 1.5 degrees if we wish to limit the risks, for example to people living in low-lying island states of flood-prone areas. However, my assessment is that we are already guaranteed to go beyond 1.5 degrees, but there is still a technical chance of limiting global warming to less than 2.0 degrees. Therefore setting the goal as 1.5 degrees would be largely symbolic. A related unresolved issue is differentiation: the relative level of expectations of developed and developing countries.

That leads to my next assessment, which is finance. Whatever the goal may finally be, it can only be realized if adequate finance is made available to those nations that most need it. The text needs to resolve the question of reliable financing based on a floor of 100 billion USD per year.

Periodic reviews of country pledges are needed to track progress towards climate safety, and the first such review cannot wait until 2020 even if a 5-year review cycle is adopted.

Sectors not covered by the Paris Agreement include emissions attributed to sea and air traffic. Those UN agencies responsible for these sectors must declare their intentions, in the spirit of coherence within the UN family of organizations.

An estimated 22.5 million people have been forced from their homes annually since 2008. The vision of millions of climate refugees should spur developed countries into action in the final two days of these talks.

Just Transition is in the preamble of the Agreement. It is not the ideal place to have it, but it is something – and it would not be in the text at all if not for the heavy lobbying that the labour delegates have undertaken. Our task whether we achieved this language in the preamble or in the body of the text, is the same: we will have to mobilize our efforts to demand that governments live up to the political commitment they have made to a Just Transition, and deliver it for affected members, their families, and the communities that depend on them.

Day 10 – Tuesday 8 December

The high-level meetings continued today. It is difficult to keep track of the multitude of subgroups and the alphabet soup of acronyms. An innovation by the French COP21 President Laurent Fabius is the creation of a group called the Committee of Paris, reporting directly to him from the various working groups on their progress, that he hopes will bring some order and coherence to the discussions. This in fact seems to have had a positive effect, compared to previous COPs.

The main stumbling blocks to a deal at this time seem to be:

Differentiation: that is, how to address the UNFCCC requirement that “The Parties should protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of humankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Accordingly, the developed country Parties should take the lead in combating climate change and the adverse effects thereof.”
Setting the goal at 1.5 Celsius degrees rather than 2 Celsius degrees above pre-industrial levels is still a point of discussion. That this is under discussion surprises me somewhat, and I believe it may be a trap: some countries are willing to sign onto a purely voluntary 1.5 degree pathway rather than a legally-required 2 degree pathway. In the end, I believe the adopted target will be a "less than 2 Celsius degrees" above pre-industrial levels target but there is more support for 1.5 than anyone expected.
Finance and accounting mechanisms are, not surprisingly, still contentious. Some countries are insisting that unless the funding base is broadened, they will not participate.
The frequency and nature of the review period for Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
Technology transfer and technical assistance to developing nations.
Business lobbyists are nervous about carbon pricing, risk assessment, and insurance.

Human rights and Just Transition are now broken up and moved to the preamble from the main text. We continue to lobby as hard as we can for Just Transition to be restored to Article 2. It is unlikely to happen. To be clear, having our text in the preamble is much better than not having it at all, and whether Just Transition is returned to Article 2 or remains in the preamble, our task after COP21 will be the same: to ensure that governments deliver it. I requested a strategy meeting today to begin to discuss how the labour caucus will respond to this likely outcome but the discussion was very preliminary since we do not have a final document to react to. How we frame our response to a likely Paris deal will affect our credibility and our ability to work with national governments on the implementation.

The ILO's Guy Rider met with the trade union delegation today to discuss the ILO's Just Transition guidance document, among other matters related to trade, development, human rights and decent work.

A revised draft text is expected tomorrow afternoon. The work continues.

Day 9 – Monday 7 December

Week 2, the so-called "high level segment" of COP21 began today. With government ministers now taking over the negotiations from their staff, a wide range of possible final outcomes from pretty bad, to pretty good, remains. Although the draft covers a lot of areas, many crucial clauses remain in square brackets (indicating that they are optional) or are missing.

Some highlights:

the draft text establishes a 5-year review cycle, although the criteria to be reviewed are not clear;
a climate fund of $100 billion USD (annually) to be established by 2020 is expected but concrete commitments to the fund by donor countries remain much lower than that. Also, the rules for the use of the fund remain unsettled.
setting the goal at controlling global average warming to less than 2 Celsius degrees, or 1.5 Celsius degrees (advocated by developing countries and low-lying island states) remains a point of discussion.

For trade unions and other civil society groups, a key issue has been the fate of Article 2, which deals with human rights, gender rights, indigenous peoples, and Just Transition. In the most recent draft this paragraph has been dismantled, with some of the items sent to the preamble paragraphs 11, 12, and 13. However, reference is made in an annex to the fact that some Parties (including Canada and Argentina) have asked for all of these rights to be restored to Article 2; and no Parties are identified as opposing this. That leaves a procedural possibility for the French Presidency to restore Just Transition to Article 2, however only intense lobbying and a measure of luck will make this happen.

Trade unions and other civil society groups held a mini demonstration inside the COP (a very rare occurrence with the tight security) to express our anger at the removal of our rights from the operational part of the draft agreement (photo attached).

The US Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz, addressed the trade union group on energy issues. The USA adopts an "all of the above" approach to energy, including nuclear and fossil fuels but also renewables. He was evasive on the question of carbon capture and sequestration, saying that he believed it had a role to play but declining to say that it would be deployed on a wide scale for coal-fired generating stations.

Jeremy Corbyn and Naomi Klein were featured speakers at an off-site event this evening.

Day 8 – Sunday 6 December

No formal negotiations took place today although a few side meetings and informal talks took place. The real work will recommence tomorrow.

Day 2 of a special trade union event on Just Transition was held at the People's Summit with a number of interesting and high profile speakers.

To try ro summarize those presentations and the discussions that followed would be impossible.

However one theme that emerged was this: those with wealth and power will not easily be persuaded to share it. If we want a Just Transition to a sustainable future we will have to demand it, mobilize, fight for it. That means a more radical future than we have so far been willing to acknowledge.

Day 7 – Saturday 5 December

In the latest version of the draft agreement, as of about 15:00 h, the phrase "taking into account the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities" has been moved to the preamble and no longer appears in Article 2, in the operational part of the text.

However, it remains noted that at least some Parties have asked for it to be put back in there, which means that it is not entirely dead. The French Presidency will have some discretion to put it back in if there is sufficient pressure to do so.

This is of course a disappointing outcome of our week of lobbying, but not entirely surprising. It means we must do what we can to convince the high-level meetings of next week that workers should not be left behind or relegated to just a comment in the preamble.

ITUC's Anabella Rosemberg's view of what has happened can be seen here:
English: https://www.facebook.com/anabella.rosemberg/videos/10207761914063175/
Castellano: https://www.facebook.com/anabella.rosemberg/videos/10207761919863320/
Francais: https://www.facebook.com/anabella.rosemberg/videos/10207761923263405/

Off-site, trade unions held a special event on Just Transition where the discussion was frank, lively, and emotional at times. I am impressed at how the Just Transition idea is now well accepted and understood by the entire labour movement, with deep and complex discussions of its implications and implementation taking place everywhere.

Day 6 – Friday 4 December

Discussions continued today on the entire range of topics in the draft Agreement. Despite the optimism at the beginning of the week, much of the discussion has degenerated to procedural bickering. Unfortunately, again, the discussions of greatest interest to us took place behind closed doors. Although I am focusing on the paragraphs that are of most importance to organized labour and civil society broadly, those that I refer to as the "Just Transition" paragraphs, it is important for the reader to understand that from the point of view of the Party negotiators, they represent a rather small part of their work.

In the morning the trade union caucus received a briefing from the Brazilian Ambassador, José Antonio Marcondes de Carvahlo (Brazil has an important role in drafting the text). He advised us that although we have some support, there are few countries that are willing to make it a "red-line" issue. Therefore, those who feel strongly about moving, weakening, splitting, or even deleting the paragraph are winning. Just Transition does not seem to be the main point of objection; the paragraph also contains references to human rights generally, and the rights of women, and indigenous peoples, specifically. The objecting countries are concerned that this will create legal liabilities and therefore expenses if adopted as is.

Of course, if they think there could be turmoil as the result of people claiming their rights as we transition to a more sustainable economy, they should consider how much anger and chaos countries will face if dispossessed and unemployed citizens learn that their leaders signed a climate agreement that gives them no rights. The bottom line is that a climate agreement is about humanity. It must have a human face. There must be no-one left behind.

As of the end of work on Friday, our text remains, although still under threat.

In other news, as expected, the question of climate finance is an area of unresolved disagreements. Yet, collective subsidies for fossil fuel production globally, is said to be about 40 times the current commitments to the Climate Fund! The idea of a financial transactions tax has been revived by 11 European countries.

Yet there is some progress taking place on a range of issues. The question is whether that progress is sufficient to ensure that a deal can be concluded at the end of week two. The anxiety that the various working groups will not complete their work on time increased. A great deal of text remains in square brackets, meaning that the Ministers next week will have a lot of decisions to make.

Friday was also a day of trade union presentations and passionate discussions at the Generations Climate space. It is unfortunate that probably the best and most experienced negotiators that many countries have, their labour leaders, are not called upon to help get the climate negotiations done!

Day 5 – Thursday 3 December

The battle on where to place references to Just Transition continued, mostly behind closed doors, unfortunately. The bits of information we have are not encouraging.

What is the real agenda? The stated reason for wanting to move or delete the reference is to shorten and simplify the text. This, coming from the same country negotiators that gave the world a 7000 page TPP text, is clearly ludicrous. The labour caucus decided to continue to hold a hard line on wanting the text left as is, where is.

In other news, the overall mood of optimism has given way to anxiety as the progress to date is far too slow to produce a final text in time.

The Trade Union Forum opened today with the joint IndustriALL – ITUC event, which was very well received by a full house.

The rest of today and tomorrow will see me attending other trade union events at the Climate Generations space.

See Brian's presentation to the Trade Union Forum here.

Day 4 – Wednesday 2 December

There was considerable frustration in the labour caucus this morning as we are still trying to understand why the references to Just Transition in Article 2 and 2bis of the Agreement are suddenly under attack. This text should not have attracted much attention at this stage. It was decided that all labour delegates would put as much pressure on negotiators as possible to retain the language as is, where is. No compromises – it is, after all, one of labour's three topline demands for COP21.

Spin-off groups continued work on the relevant portions of the text all day, mainly in sessions that were closed to observers, and by evening there was still no resolution. The Brazilian negotiator intends to summarize today's talks tomorrow morning, and talks will resume.

The countries involved include the USA, the EU, Australia, Canada, Norway, Turkey and New Zealand and possible others, but the rumour is that the origins of the opposition lie with the USA whose government lawyers are fearful that the language will create legal obligations or liabilities.

They intend to remove the context from the operational part of the agreement (meaning references to human rights, workers, gender, etc.) and also (not coincidentally) mention of Common but Differentiated Responsibility. They may or may not agree to leave it in the preamble.

A number of other countries are said to have made statements in favour of leaving our text as is, but it is not a given that they are willing to invest very much political capital in seeing it through, since there are hundreds of other issues being negotiated and the French Presidency is rumoured to be starting to signal impatience with the overall progress of COP negotiations.

This fight will likely be ongoing for the next few days. In the meantime, I must prepare for the joint IndustriALL and ITUC trade union event tomorrow, which opens the entire series of trade union events.

Day 3 – Tuesday 1 December

Today it was learned that in closed sessions last night, a proposal was made to delete paragraphs referencing Just Transition in the operational portion (Article 2 and 2bis) of the draft Paris Agreement. Even though other references to Just Transition exist in the draft, this was the strongest as it tied Just Transition to the very purpose of the agreement. Even worse, the proposal seems to have been made by Norway (!) in the interests of “simplifying” the agreement. In the trade union caucus, we agreed to redouble our efforts to seek out negotiators and make clear to them that dropping this reference is an extremely bad idea. It is not clear at this moment whether our text is in, or out of Articles 2 and 2bis.

In other matters, there are relatively few opportunities for anyone to speak to one of the major plenaries who is not a country delegate (a “Party” in the nomenclature of the UNFCCC). I was fortunate therefore to have the opportunity to address the opening plenary of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technical Advice; one of the major working groups of the COP.

This is what I said:
TUNGO statement

Thank you President
My name is Brian Kohler and I work for IndustriALL Global Union, a gobal family of industrial unions, and I represent here the international trade union movement.
Chair, trade unions value the work that has been done by the SBSTA to date in assessing the linkages between climate policies and employment in the Forum on response measures. We are convinced that showing that measures can be taken to ensure that climate action and social progress go hand in hand is key for building more social support for this process.
In the past years, trade unions have delivered in our pledge to ensure other UN bodies make progress on this issue and produce guidance to the UNFCCC. We are very pleased to report, President that just two weeks ago, the International Labour Organisation unanimously adopted the first ever ILO Guidelines on Just Transition, giving for the first time an agreed and concise list of policies which should be followed if governments and employers wanted to protect workers and communities in the transition to a climate-sound economy.
It is time now for SBSTA to institutionalise the dialogue with that process and as a scientific and technological advisory body, ensure information and best practices are factored in in UNFCCC discussions.
SBSTA work will of course be shaped by the outcome of the Paris agreement, and it is our hope that the latter will contain substantial references to the need for a Just Transition for workers. Our expectation is therefore that this body will follow up its previous work on Just Transition as well as to the renewed commitment by Parties with a more straight forward work programme on this topic, supported by a partnership with the ILO and strong trade union involvement.
Chair, we need to change the world as we know it. And that will only happen if workers know, are supported and skilled to do it. The trade union movement stands ready to give its ideas, suggestions and solutions to make it possible.
Thank you.

Day 2 – Monday 30 November

In an unprecedented move, France's President Hollande and incoming COP President Laurent Fabius invited heads of state to address the COP on the first day. (In previous COPs, heads of state typically did not arrive until the second week.) Some 150 kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers gave short speeches today. The intent of the French Presidency was to raise the level of political commitment at the beginning of negotiations, rather than wait until the end of the conference when time would be short and the stakes, high.

Many of the world's leaders took the opportunity to speak of the urgent need for action. Ban Ki-Moon reminded the assembled leaders that the future was in their hands. President Obama of USA asked for an agreement that lifts people from poverty without condemning future generations to a planet beyond repair. China's President Xi Jinping said the COP is not a finish line, but a starting point. Leaders of developing countries reminded the conference of their need for help building capacity, for example Côte d'Ivoire spoke of climate finance and technology transfer. Several leaders made reference to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations, in September. Small island states, some already in danger of inundation from rising sea levels spoke with emotion of the urgency of their situation, as Tuvalu said, if we save Tuvalu we save the world. Canada's new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared that that fighting climate change will not sacrifice jobs, but create them. Trudeau concluded, "Canada is back".

Negotiations continue tonight on two key paragraphs that contain references to Just Transition. Trade union observers have been excluded from this meeting, which is not a good sign. It will be more evident by tomorrow how difficult a challenge it will be to keep these references in the final text.

Day 1 – Sunday 29 November

Today was the official start of the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, otherwise known as COP21.

Climate marches took place in cities all over the globe to highlight the importance of the talks, but were not well received in Paris. In the security-heightened aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks of 13 November, all protests and demonstrations have been banned; notwithstanding the French government's decision to allow football games and Christmas markets to go ahead as planned! A couple of events nevertheless took place, and a number of protesters were arrested as a result. Strangely, the security process for obtaining a delegate badge and entering the COP venue did not seem particularly different from other years.

This is the 21st COP, and therefore 21 years of failure lie behind it. I have been involved in the fight for action on climate change longer than many of the youth delegates have been alive; with little to show for it. Now, time for further delay has run out. Yet, I am strangely optimistic about COP21. I have a few reasons.

First, the science is clearer and more alarming than ever.

Second, world public opinion has shifted and a majority in every country now supports a deal being made in Paris.

Third, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals already adopted by the UN General Assembly in September, contain specific references to climate action and other sustainability goals, so to fail in Paris would somehow be a contradiction of commitments world leaders have already made. There are other positive signals being given by political and other leaders that I will not list here.

My task, and the task of other trade unionists in attendance, is to try to win labour's three key goals: (1) raise ambition and realize the job creation potential of climate action; (2) deliver on climate finance and support for the most vulnerable; and (3) commit to securing a Just Transition for workers and their communities.

So as COP21 begins, I will hold onto a sense of cautious optimism. In two weeks I will know if I was right, or wrong.

Caribbean unions' joint call for government action on contract labour

Unions in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Suriname and Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago will deliver a letter from IndustriALL Global Union to their respective governments, calling for dialogue with the labour movement to reverse the growing use of contract labour.

The action follows on revelations at a recent IndustriALL Global Union Caribbean regional meeting that not only are private sector companies guilty of eroding workers’ rights through the prevalent use of contract labour, but the governments of the region were also increasingly using this form of employment.

Unions in the region want to draw attention to the role played by the public sector and state owned enterprises in the economies of Caribbean countries. A public sector where staff is changed frequently cannot provide a platform for sustainable economic development. All involved – workers, each territory and the region collectively – would benefit from the elimination of the scourge of contract labour.

IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina says:

“By nature, contract labour undermines workers’ job security making them vulnerable. This is not only at the workplace but also in their personal lives, restricting their options for personal development. Greater job security would result in a more motivated and in turn a more productive workforce, thus providing the foundation for increased growth and development.

“The transition away from contract labour towards decent work and sustainable jobs must not be implemented unilaterally by the region’s governments but must be executed through a process of dialogue and collaboration with the labour movement. Trade unions in the region look forward to working with their respective governments to achieve this objective.”

IndustriALL Global Union supports Cambodian workers at ExCo in Phnom Penh

President Berthold Huber opened the Executive Committee with a speech about the current refugee crisis. The IndustriALL president called for solidarity towards refugees:

“For us, sisters and brothers, we should show solidarity to people who are looking for protection. All people have a right to a future. That is something that trade unionists must fight for. We should also build an alliance of the willing.”

President Huber welcomed guests including Sat Samoth, Under-Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, and representatives of H&M, with whom IndustriALL recently signed a Global Framework Agreement.

Sat Samoth, said in his opening address:

“Our main concern is employment, and also working conditions and investment in the country. I hope this meeting will be fruitful for the harmonization of industrial relations in Cambodia.”

Garment workers in Cambodia must earn a living wage

IndustriALL hosted a panel debate on living wage action, collective bargaining and organizing in Cambodia and other Asian countries, bringing together Heng Sour, chief of cabinet of the Minister of Labour, Ken Loo, GMAC general secretary, Jonah Wigerhall, H&M sustainability country manager, and trade union representatives from Cambodia, Myanmar and Indonesia.

IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina said that the organization is carrying out a global fight for the right to join a union and to bargain collectively.

“It is not always easy, but trade unions in Cambodia have been active in organizing; according to some sources membership in the garment sector is a high as 60 per cent.

“But the minimum wage in Cambodia is still not a living wage, and that goes for Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and other countries in the region. And as long as that is the case, our fight continues”

Chief of Cabinet Heng Sour was supportive of workers’ need for higher wages, but said:

“The Cambodian government can’t act alone. We need to work with the brands and investors to make sure there is no exploitation of cheap labour in any Asian countries.”

Jonah Wigerhall, H&M, supported the new approach and said that H&M is engaged globally on improving wages.

IndustriALL’s eight affiliated unions in Cambodia are urging the government to consider their demands and to engage in dialogue.

“We need a higher minimum wage; research from IndustriALL shows that US$140 is not a living wage,” said Rath Minea, general secretary of IndustriALL affiliate NIFTUC. “

Rath Minea also spoke of garment workers’ living conditions in the country, which are often extremely basic and crowded, and where harassment is rife.

“I hope that Cambodian workers will enjoy a living wage and a decent life one day.”

Jyrki Raina expressed IndustriALL’s support for its Cambodian affiliates:

“The garment workers in Cambodia have demands and they are mobilizing for them. IndustriALL supports their fight for a living wage and will continue to work with the brands towards a new industry level bargaining mechanism. The government, brands and their suppliers all need to take their share of responsibility.”

A campaigning organization

IndustriALL is running a number of campaigns; the Rio Tinto campaign focuses on the mining giant with a history of provoking conflict with unions around the world. The campaign aims to build a strong union network around Rio Tinto, support unions to organize workers and grow membership.

Although there are still challenges, the campaign reports organizing victories in Australia, Indonesia and Madagascar, where around 1,000 new members have been recruited. The Rio Tinto campaign has an on-going dialogue with the investor community, focusing on precarious work, and health and safety.

In a great show of unity, unions in at least 54 countries took action on 7 October to STOP Precarious Work. The global union networks at Rio Tinto and LafargeHolcim also took global action.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Fernando Lopes reported to the Executive Committee on campaigning and actions in key countries Mexico and Colombia. Key political progress has been made with the Mexican government under pressure to implement freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Reacting to pressure the Peña Nieto government is proposing labour law reform including ratification of ILO Convention 98. The Mineros and SME unions, following five years of struggle, also achieved victories for members. Campaigns continue at companies such as Honda, PKC and Bata Sandak.

“IndustriALL is the climate change union,” said Jyrki Raina as Brian Kohler, IndustriALL sustainability director reported directly from COP21 in Paris.

“I am confident there will be an agreement at the end of the week: I ask the Executive Committee to support a move towards a sustainable world and to endorse a meeting on how the agreement will affect IndustriALL’s sectors.”

The IndustriALL Executive assessed its current 47 GFAs and on-going negotiations with prospective new GFA partners. The global union is increasing focus on implementation of the GFAs and using them for organizing, around three political themes, neutrality, union access to workplaces, and binding dispute resolutions.

Monika Kemperle, assistant general secretary and IndustriALL women’s director, gave an account of the World Women Conference in Vienna, Austria in September, where a resolution calling for a quota of 40 per cent representation of women in IndustriALL structures and leadership was unanimously approved.

Emergency resolutions for global union solidarity

IndustriALL affirmed its commitment to all refugees especially in the workplace, in a discussion on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Hashmeya Alsaadawe, President of the General Union of Electricity Workers and Technicians in Iraq, said IndustriALL is expanding in her country despite terrorism, youth unemployment, bad laws and migration which have reached unprecedented levels as people escape dire security situations. She said it reflects the validity of implementing policies and programmes that aim at social justice, without which there can be no peace.

She praised IndustriALL for coming to Iraq and its work on the new labour law, as well as for uniting unions through the IndustriALL council in Iraq.

Mustafa Sahin from the Turkish Energy Water and Gas Workers’ Union, said the refugee crisis is putting downward pressure on wages and increasing precarious work in Turkey, which has 2.5 million refugees. He said refugees should have same rights as Turkish workers and called for an IndustriALL delegation to visit refugee camps in Turkey.

Gianni Alioti, from Italian affiliate FIM-CISL, brought attention to the situation of the refugees working in slave-like conditions in manufacturing in Italy. He called for a coordinated commitment of all players – courts, law enforcement, employers and trade unions – to prevent exploitation.

The IndustriALL Executive stood with unions under attack in a number of countries, including in Finland who are under attack from their right wing government. “If these laws enter into force they will cripple our contract system and the unions’ right to bargain”, said PRO president Jorma Malinen.

The Korean Government is attacking union rights, cracking down and raiding union offices, and shamefully vilifying peaceful assembly. IndustriALL expressed its solidarity with Korean workers in their fight back.

Ben Richards, from Unite and Workers Uniting reported on the regressive trade union laws in the UK:

“We already have some of the most restrictive strike laws anywhere. But the current neo-liberal Thatcherite government has introduced a Trade Union Bill that will place extreme restrictions on the right to strike, allow agency workers to replace strikers, greatly constrain unions’ financial support for the Labour Party, and more. International solidarity is the only way to fight back!”

The Executive Committee adopted a number of emergency resolutions:

on the attacks by the government against union rights in Finland
against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in its current form
a call for support of unions in South Korea fighting back against government crackdown
a statement against terror
a solidarity resolution with garment workers in Cambodia
against Alcoa undermining the rights of Australian workers

3 million strike in Indonesia for a living wage

Massive mobilizations were organized by three Indonesian trade union centres KSPI (FSPMI, Farkes, SPN,KEP, ISI), KSPSI (CEMWU) and KSBSI (Lomenik, FPE, Garteks) in spite of a strong pressure from the ministry of labour, employers and police. They had labelled the strike illegal and threatened the protesters with sanctions and penalties.

According to eyewitness reports, police used tear gas and water cannons against the demonstrators, who were rallying against the governments proposed minimum wage reforms. A number of trade union activists were detained, but later released by the police.

The national strike was a response to the government’s announcement of minimum wage reforms, which would leave workers in poverty for another five years.

According to new regulations, the minimum wage would be calculated on the basis of inflation and overall economic growth, meaning that in practice workers’ wages would be far lower than the minimum living standards.

IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina said:

We condemn these continued fierce attacks on workers in Indonesia and are deeply disappointed that the government allow brutal methods against peaceful demonstrations.
“We demand an immediate stop to all prosecutions against protesters involved in the national strike. Our members deserve decent living conditions and we will continue to support our affiliates in Indonesia and everywhere in the world in their struggle for a living wage.”

The unions’ demand that the government

withdraw/cancel the government regulation on minimum wage no 78/2015 which is in opposition to labour law no 13/2003, act no 88 & 89
reject the minimum wage regulation, as it hinders the existing minimum wage calculation practice and create structural poverty for workers
increase the minimum wage by 2.6 per cent and all wages for 2016 by IDR 500.000 (US$36), while sectorial wages be must higher than the minimum wage.

Inviting Bolivian unions to join IndustriALL activities

There is the only one national centre bringing together all unions in Bolivia, Central Obrera Boliviana (COB). The COB has traditionally maintained a position of not affiliating internationally, but in discussions with IndustriALL it was understood that this may be a point on the agenda at the next congress. In addition, the longstanding principle of independence and non-alignment does not apply to the sectorial federations anymore, as several Bolivian federations, in particular public service unions, have recently affiliated to global union federations.

Fernando Lopes, IndustriALL assistant general secretary gave a presentation about IndustriALL structures at international and regional level, action plan, industrial scope and union networks. Marino Vani, assistant regional secretary, talked about the different activities carried out in the region.

The sectorial federations were particularly interested to hear about global union strategies and networks to deal with transnational companies, as Bolivia has significant natural resources in the mining, extractive and hydrocarbon industries.

The leader from the Mining Federation, who is also the International Secretary of COB, and a Glencore miner, was invited to participate in the upcoming IndustriALL Global Glencore Network meeting. It was agreed to seek opportunities to continue sharing information and involving the sectorial unions in IndustriALL’s regional and international activities where possible.

Meetings were also held with Gonzalo Trigoso, labour minister, who recognised the central role of the COB and welcomed IndustriALL’s fact-finding mission, and with a representative from the vice President’s office who gave an overview of the political situation in Bolivia.

The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in Bolivia has to date carried out very few activities with the Bolivian unions, mainly capacity building activities with women workers from the textile and garment workers. FES offered to host IndustriALL global activities in Bolivia, and we discussed the possibility of involving young unionists from the textile and mining sectors in the regional youth project and in international level activities, which will be followed up with FES Berlin and the Regional FES office in Montevideo.

Fernando Lopes concluded after the mission:

Currently IndustriALL has no affiliates in Bolivia. But as the country plays an important role at regional level we are happy to welcome the Bolivian unionists to participate in our activities and share experience with our affiliates. We look forward to developing closer cooperation.

IndustriALL Global Union supports Cambodian workers

IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina says that the latest increase to the minimum wage does not meet workers’ expectations for a wage sufficient to support themselves and their families:

The current demands by unions in Cambodia reflect the workers’ frustration with the brands, as well as the lack of response from government and employers to the unions’ 13 demands. Workers are saying that brands sourcing from the country must guarantee a living wage.
This is why it is even more urgent for IndustriALL to continue to work with the brands sourcing from Cambodia towards industry level collective bargaining in order to improve wages. There should be national negotiations supported by responsible buying practices and moving towards world class manufacturing standards. The garment brands that source from Cambodian factories must take their share of responsibility for ensuring that garment workers earn a living wage.

H.E. Sat Samoth, Under-Secretary of State from the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training will speak at the opening of the Executive Committee.

To highlight the complex situation in the region, IndustriALL is hosting a panel debate on living wage action, collective bargaining and organizing in Cambodia and other Asian countries. Panelists include Cambodian government representative Heng Sour, Swedish retail giant H&M, GMAC general secretary Ken Loo and trade union representatives from Cambodia, Myanmar and Indonesia.

Jyrki Raina says that a continued dialogue is crucial for the long-term success of the country’s crucial garment industry:

IndustriALL wants to see a continued improvement of garment workers’ living conditions, and we also support plans for diversification of the country’s manufacturing base.
And we want to make sure that the new trade union law is in line with the ILO conventions on freedom of Association and Collective bargaining.

UAW wins union election at Volkswagen, Tennessee

The skilled trade workers fix and maintain the assembly machinery and are therefore an important section of blue-collar workers at the plant. Around 71 per cent voted in favour of the union.

This is a positive step towards establishing a full trade union for the total 1,450 workforce. IndustriALL President Bertold Huber wrote to congratulate Local 42, “Your success will stand as a symbol for the beginning of a new era of industrial relations”.

Volkswagen has lodged an appeal with the US National Labour Relations Board, arguing that a union election should be held for all blue-collar workers at the Chattanooga plant together. The appeal is not expected to stand.

The UAW narrowly lost a full workplace election in February 2014 in a ballot that was not free or fair due to heavy external interference. US Senator for the State of Tennessee falsely claimed in the lead up to the ballot that if workers voted to join the UAW, the factory would not expand its production.

The UAW will campaign to organize other foreign-owned car plants in Southern US States. The union is currently fighting against serious violations of labour rights at Nissan in Mississippi, and at Mercedes in Alabama, to support workers who want and need a union.

Local 42 President Mike Cantrell said after the vote, "We have said from the beginning of Local 42 that there are multiple paths to reach collective bargaining. And we believe these paths will give all of us a voice at Volkswagen in due time." Local 42 will seek to initiate collective bargaining as soon as possible for the new unit.

IndustriALL General Secretary Jyrki Raina committed international support for Local 42 until and after a full trade union is registered at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga:

“We are proud of the courageous Sisters and Brothers of Local 42 and the great UAW organizing team in Chattanooga. We know that the majority of the entire Chattanooga workforce wants to join the UAW, but because of interference from anti-union politicians and corporates, this step-by-step approach is necessary. It will make the organizing victory sweeter when it comes.”

Achieving 40 per cent women at IndustriALL

The meeting took place on the eve of IndustriALL’s Executive Committee in Cambodia and follows a unanimous resolution from women at the September world conference in Vienna calling for the quota.

Monika Kemperle, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, said:

It is not something we have done lightly. It is a task we in the women’s committee have been entrusted with. We must make sure that the representation of women becomes part of all our statutes, decision-making bodies and structures of IndustriALL.

Kemperle noted that the Equality Charter, also adopted at the Vienna world conference, should also be referred to going forward:

“The Executive should also discuss these issues and take responsibility for the needs of women and the protection of women. It should be a top down and also bottom up process.”

A task force representative of different sectors and regions is working on a proposal for concrete steps to increase women’s representation in IndustriALL structures. The aim is to implement the quota in the IndustriALL statutes and all relevant documents at congress in Rio, Brazil in October 2016.

Importantly, the women’s committee asked that all affiliates be encouraged to adhere to the 40 per cent quota in their nominations for Executive Committee positions in Rio.

It was again mentioned that Articles 28 and 29 of the IndustriALL statutes need to be revised.

There were proposals for the Women’s Committee to become a Standing Committee, with the Chair becoming automatic Vice-President of IndustriALL or a similar leadership position.

There was also a call for IndustriALL assistance to build women membership in affiliate unions.

In the meantime, women’s issues, including representation, health, violence against women and maternity protection, should be included in all IndustriALL activities.

Finally, the committee praised the leadership of Carol Bruce who retired as IndustriALL Women and Non-manual Director in October and is succeeded by Monika Kemperle.