RIO+20 must commit to sustainable job creation

GLOBAL: ITUC released a new report "Growing Green and Decent Jobs" that trade union leaders can use in negotiations on green investment and job creation as a part of their national policies. The report, released on April 18, analyses seven industries including manufacturing and energy industries in 12 countries and shows that investing two per cent of GDP in a greener economy could create up to 48 million new jobs over the next five years.

Since  world leaders adopted Agenda 21 in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, governments have been called upon to  invest in a greener economy and accelerate  the adoption of clean technologies, but actual progress at the global level has fallen short of the expectations expressed in Agenda 21 (1992), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, 2000, and the 2008 update), the Johannesburg Program of Implementation (JPOI, 2002), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Especially on sustainable job creation, a review by the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) secretariat reports "global delivery of the employment and green jobs-related commitments is sobering. While judgment is needed to assess delivery against the not so well defined commitments, there is ample evidence to suggest that progress has been slow and in some cases even contradictory to the stated goal. It is impossible to say whether delivery of commitments specifically relating to "green jobs" has fared better or worse than those generic to employment as a whole."

Twenty years after the adoption of Agenda 21 at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit as a roadmap towards a sustainable future, representatives of governments, businesses, and international organizations, including trade unions, NGOs, business leaders, academics, politicians, bureaucrats and journalists, will once again discuss the issues on sustainable development at UNCSD-RIO+20 on June 20 to 22, in Rio de Janeiro. The main objective of the Conference is to assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits and to secure renewed political commitment for tackling poverty eradication and sustainable development challenges. The RIO+20 will also highlight seven critical issues which need priority attention; these include decent jobs, energy, sustainable cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans and disaster readiness.

As representatives of  industrial workers in the metal, chemical, energy, mining, paper, rubber, textiles, materials, and related sectors,  the IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF have been jointly promoting common policy demands on sustainable development; including:

• a strong, legally-binding, comprehensive global agreement with  an ambitious reduction target for  greenhouse gas emissions,
• creation of  sustainable jobs that meet ILO definition of Decent Work while ensuring a Just Transition, and
• building a strong financial foundation for a  sustainable future  using instruments such as a  financial transactions tax.

The IMF, ICEM, and ITGLWF  fully support following three key demands as articulated by the ITUC:

Green&Decent Jobs
http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/greendecentjobs_madesimple.pdf  

Social Protection Floors
http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/socialprotectionfloor_madesimple.pdf

The Financial Transaction Tax
http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ftt_madesimple.pdf

We hope that all industrial workers who attend RIO+20 as labour delegates will play an active role in supporting the common union demands. The international labour movement  could play a strong role at RIO+20 to ensure that international commitments are turned into national legislation.

For further information on ITUC's campaign on RIO+20, please go to:
http://www.ituc-csi.org/rio-20.html