ILO holds conference on just transition, climate change 

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is holding a three-day conference in Tema, dubbed “Union to Union Cooperation for Enhancing Advocacy on Just Transition and Climate Change”. 

  

The workshop is to enable knowledge sharing among members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC). 

  

Ms. Inviolata Chinyangarara, ILO Senior Specialist, Workers Activities/ACTRAV, said the conference was one of the groundbreaking events that the ILO was organising, bringing together unions from the Nigeria Labour Congress to collaborate with unions from the Ghana Trades Union Congress. 

  

Ms Chintangarara said the ILO brought together the two unions to share knowledge and exchange experiences on their programmes promoting just transitions and how they were addressing the impact of climate change on workers and workplaces. 

  

“Over the three days, we will have the technical session on ILO policies on just transition and climate change,” she said, adding that they would also look at the role of social dialogue, with the unions being key in the advocacy when climate change is discussed at the national levels, as well as take a field visit to relevant ministry departments and agencies that were involved in climate issues. 

  

She added that they would also come out with action plans for implementation in Ghana and Nigeria while ensuring that collaboration between the two workers federations goes beyond the conference. 

  

She said the conference was important because the transition affected decent work, while the impact of climate change was affecting a lot of workers, as many were losing their jobs, poverty was being aggravated, inequalities were widening, and international labour standards were impacted. 

  

The ILO Senior Specialist said that due to these, workers were supposed to be at the centre of influencing policies on climate change, as it also affects them. 

  

Mr Joshua Ansah, the Secretary General of the TUC, in a welcome address, stated that the urgency of climate change was no longer up for debate, noting that across Africa and the world, working people were already living with its weather patterns, rising livelihoods, and growing inequality. 

  

Mr Ansah said with rising temperatures, food insecurity, and forced migration, among others, there was the need to act justly, indicating that “That is why the principle of Just Transition is so vital. Climate policies must not worsen existing inequalities or sacrifice the wellbeing of workers in the name of environmental progress. 

Trade unions must be part of climate solutions – not as an afterthought, but as key actors in shaping policies, defining priorities, and protecting lives and livelihoods.” 

He noted that the TUC and its affiliates recognise the profound implications of climate change and the transition to a green economy for workers and trade unions, noting that they have clearly expressed this in the TUC’s ‘Congress Policy Statement and Resolutions (2024–2028), which highlighted how climate change was reshaping employment patterns and labour relations in Ghana. 

  

“We have also raised serious concerns that mitigation and adaptation measures are already affecting both the quality and quantity of jobs, especially in vulnerable and informal sectors,” he said. 

  

He, however, added that beyond expressing their concerns, they have taken deliberate steps to advance climate and just transition work within the labour movement. 

  

Mr Alex Frimpong, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Employers Association, said as employers, they recognise that climate action and economic transformation must go hand in hand. 

  

Mr Frimpong added that employers were fully aware that the shift to low-carbon economies will reshape the world of work, disrupt some industries while create new ones. 

  

“This transition, if not managed well, risks exacerbating existing inequalities and undermining decent work. But if done right, it holds the promise of fostering innovation, green enterprise growth, and resilient labour markets,” he said. 

  

He added that the Ghana Employers Association believes that strong collaboration among social partners was key; therefore, workers, employers, and governments must jointly define and implement transition pathways that are just, inclusive, and economically viable. 

  

“We also encourage the identification of joint advocacy priorities that can inform policy coherence and public investment strategies, especially in areas such as social protection, skills development, and sustainable enterprise support,” he stated. 

  

Mr Marwan Adamu Mni, an official of the Nigeria Labour Congress, said the conference was aimed at fostering a close climate change relationship between the two national labour federations, as well as developing a regional common position on climate change and just transition, especially in preparation for major climate change engagements, especially the Conference of Parties (COP 30), which will take place this November in Belem, Brazil. 

  

He noted that climate was largely a workplace reality, with workers, their families and communities in the direct line of fire of climate change impact; therefore, it was important that trade unions, for the sake of the future of work, are interested and engaged in the discussions around the mitigation, adaptation, resilience building and just transition to a low carbon green economy that leaves no one behind. 

Source: GNA