By Victor Ahiuma-Young 

For some time now, discussions around the  Just and Green transition from fossil energy to renewable sources, or the shift from carbon-based to decarbonized or green economies, have been ongoing at various levels, especially transnationally.

To avoid being left behind or even out in the cold, bearing the brunt as in the past when workers and Organised Labour were victims of previous transitions, three unions in the energy and chemical sectors, supported by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), have taken up the initiative to ensure that workers, their families, and even communities are not jettisoned or left vulnerable in the transition process.

For six months, representatives of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather, and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE) gathered to brainstorm on how to minimize or mitigate the negative impacts and optimize the opportunities provided by the transition process.

At the end of the six-month exercise, which the Project Coordinator of FES, Mrs. Remi Ihejirika, said was mainly fieldwork and not just sitting in offices or browsing the internet, the unions came up with what they termed the “Workers’ Charter of Demands.”

At the presentation of the Charter at NUPENG Towers in Lagos, NUPENG’s General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, among others, praised the efforts of the participating unions and lamented that until now, there had been no documented work detailing employees’ demands, especially on Just Transition.

According to him, the initiative was a milestone in Labour Relations and called on the two umbrella groups for workers in the country—the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its counterpart, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC)—to take up the initiative and popularise it.

Similarly, President of NUCFRLANMPE, Sunday Bolarinwa, commended the team spirit among the three participating unions, saying he was confident that the NLC would adopt the project and champion it for the benefit of Nigerian workers.

In the same vein, NUEE’s President, Adebiyi Adeyeye, who later unveiled the charter, called for a concerted effort by the participating unions and other stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of the team spirit and make sure the charter becomes part of the national dialogue on just transition.

Giving insight into the charter of demands, a consultant to the project, Tunde Salman, said: “Just transition represents a transformation from carbon-based economic activities to a low or zero-carbon economy, but in a manner that limits the negative impacts on workers, their families, and communities. A just transition acknowledges the links between climate action and sustainable development. Therefore, we, the workers of Nigeria, represented by our trade unions, recognise the urgent need for a just transition to a low-carbon economy. However, we demand that this transition prioritise the rights, interests, and well-being of workers, our families, and communities.”

He listed 10 key points that form the charter of demands,  include job security and creation, Right to Decent WorkSocial Protection and Welfare, Skills Development and Training, Just Transition Fund and Tripartite Commission for Social Dialogue.

According to him: “Protect existing jobs and create new green jobs within the transition process. Provide career counselling and transition support services to assist workers in exploring new job opportunities in green sectors. Incorporate just transition demands into collective bargaining agreements, including provisions for job placement or options for redeployment within the company and new business ventures in green sectors.

On the right to decent  work, he said it is to ensure that all workers have access to decent work, with fair wages, safe working conditions, and social protection. Implement policies to promote full employment and reduce unemployment.

For Salman: “A just transition for the workforce builds on the creation of decent work and quality jobs as well as social protection to mitigate the negative impacts of climate policies on workers, their families, and communities. Transitioning to a low-carbon economy is crucial. We, the workers of Nigeria, will continue to advocate for our rights and interests throughout this transition process, and demand that our government, employers, and other social partners work with us to ensure a just transition to a low-carbon economy.”

In her remarks, Ihejirika informed that as part of the initiative, an enlarged engagement with government representatives, employers, trade unions, civil society organisations, and other critical stakeholders would take place in Abuja next week.