PROJECT ON:
GREEN JOBS INITIATIVE: ILO
This paper is submitted in partial fulfilment of the academic requirements for
the subject
Labour Law
__________________________________________________________
1
CONTENTS
I. Introduction.........................................................................................................................3
II. Green Jobs Programme: The Policy...................................................................................4
III. Key Drivers Of Green Jobs.............................................................................................6
IV. Green Jobs In India.........................................................................................................7
V. A New Approach To Working Hours.................................................................................8
VI. A Just And Fair Transition..............................................................................................9
A. Workers’ Rights..............................................................................................................9
B. Decent Work...................................................................................................................9
C. Social Protections..........................................................................................................10
D. Social Dialogue.............................................................................................................10
E. Sustainable Businesses..................................................................................................10
VII. Trade Union Approaches..............................................................................................11
VIII. Conclusion.....................................................................................................................12
IX. Bibliography..................................................................................................................13
2
I. INTRODUCTION
Jobs are green when they help reduce negative environmental impact ultimately leading to
environmentally, economically and socially sustainable enterprises and economies." Green
jobs are decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment, be they in
traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new, emerging green sectors
such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.1
Green jobs help to:2
Improve energy and raw materials efficiency
Limit greenhouse gas emissions
Minimize waste and pollution
Protect and restore ecosystems
Support adaptation to the effects of climate change
These can be defined at 2 levels: Output Level and Input Level. Output level is when the job
can produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment, for example green
buildings or clean transportation. However, these green outputs (products and services) are
not always based on green production processes and technologies. Therefore green jobs can
also be distinguished by their contribution to more environmentally friendly processes. For
example, green jobs can reduce water consumption or improve recycling systems. These are
called the green jobs at the input level.3
The Green Jobs Initiative is a partnership established in 2007 between the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The International Organization of
1
Green Jobs (ILO), at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/lang--en/index.htm.
2
Frequently Asked Questions on Green Jobs, at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-
jobs/WCMS_214247_EN/lang--en/index.htm.
3
A Bowen, Green Growth, Green Jobs and Labor Markets, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper (2012).
3
Employers (IOE) joined the Initiative in 2008. The Initiative was launched to assess, analyse
and promote the creation of decent jobs as a consequence of the needed environmental
policies to address the global environmental challenges, among others, climate change.4
Green jobs span a wide array of skills, educational backgrounds, and occupational profiles.
This is especially true with regard to so-called indirect jobs—those in supplier industries. 5
Even for new industries like wind and solar power, supply chains consist largely of very
traditional industries. For instance, large amounts of steel are incorporated into a wind turbine
tower.6
II. GREEN JOBS PROGRAMME: THE POLICY
The Green Jobs Programme of the ILO works towards an environmentally sustainable social
and economic development.7 It promotes worldwide the creation of green jobs as a way of
generating decent employment and income opportunities with a reduced environmental
impact and an increased ability to cope with the challenges of climate change and scarce
resources.8
To do so, the programme follows two main strategies: on one hand, it addresses the
employment and social dimension of environmental policies to ensure decent work to present
and future generations. On the other hand, it mainstreams environmental concerns into the
world of work to change consumption and production patterns. 9 At national level, the
programme operates in many different countries and on a variety of issues. At the
international level, the programme engages in international policy debates on climate change
and sustainable development and builds, together with its partners, a substantive knowledge
base on the social dimensions of environmental issues and climate change.10
Green jobs need to be decent work, i.e. good jobs which offer adequate wages, safe working
conditions, job security, reasonable career prospects, and worker rights. 11 People’s
4
The ILO’s Green Jobs Programme, at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/WCMS_213842/lang--
en/index.htm.
5
The ILO’s Green Jobs Programme, at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/WCMS_213842/lang--
en/index.htm.
6
Id.
7
Id.
8
UNEP Implements Green Jobs, at http://www.unep.org/civil-
society/Partnerships/GreenJobs/tabid/104810/Default.aspx.
9
A Bowen, Green Growth, Green Jobs and Labor Markets, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper (2012).
10
Green Jobs in India, at http://www.ilo.org/newdelhi/whatwedo/projects/lang--en/index.htm.
11
Green Jobs (ILO), at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/lang--en/index.htm.
4
livelihoods and sense of dignity are bound up tightly with their jobs. A job that is
exploitative, harmful, fails to pay a living wage, and thus condemns workers to a life of
poverty can hardly be hailed as green. 12 There are today millions of jobs in sectors that are
nominally in support of environmental goals—such as the electronics recycling industry in
Asia, or biofuel feedstock plantations in Latin America, for instance—but whose day-to-day
reality is characterized by extremely poor practices, exposing workers to hazardous
substances or denying them the freedom of association.13
From a broad conceptual perspective, employment will be affected in at least four ways as the
economy is oriented toward greater sustainability:14
i. In some cases, additional jobs will be created—as in the manufacturing of pollution-
control devices added to existing production equipment.
ii. Some employment will be substituted—as in shifting from fossil fuels to renewables,
or from truck manufacturing to rail car manufacturing, or from landfilling and waste
incineration to recycling.
iii. Certain jobs may be eliminated without direct replacement—as when packaging
materials are discouraged or banned and their production is discontinued.
iv. It would appear that many existing jobs (especially such as plumbers, electricians,
metal workers, and construction workers) will simply be transformed and redefined as
day-to-day skill sets, work methods, and profiles are greened.
As the move toward a low-carbon and more sustainable economy gathers momentum,
growing numbers of green jobs will be created. 15 Although winners are likely to far
outnumber losers, some workers may be hurt in the economic restructuring toward
sustainability. Companies and regions that become leaders in green innovation, design, and
technology development are more likely to retain and create new green jobs. But workers and
communities dependent on mining, fossil fuels, and smokestack industries—or on companies
that are slow to rise to the environmental challenge—will confront a substantial challenge to
diversify their economies. Public policy can and should seek to minimize disparities among
12
Id.
13
Green Jobs (ILO), at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/lang--en/index.htm.
14
International Labour Organization (ILO), Decent Work For All, at
www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/WhatisDecentWork/index.htm.
15
Id.
5
putative winners and losers that arise in the transition to a green economy, and avoid these
distinctions becoming permanent features.16
III. KEY DRIVERS OF GREEN JOBS
Forward-thinking government policies would be the key driving factors behind promotion
and implementation of Green Jobs in a successful and all pervasive manner. They are
important for providing funding of green projects; overall goal- and standard-setting beyond
the time horizons typical in the business world; providing infrastructure that private
enterprises cannot or will not create; and creating and maintaining a level playing field for all
actors.17
Reforms would be required in the form of the following policies:18
i. Subsidies. Phase out subsidies for environmentally harmful industries, and shift a
portion or all of those funds to renewable energy, efficiency technologies, clean
production methods, and public transit.
ii. Carbon Markets. Fix the current shortcomings inherent in carbon trading and Kyoto
Protocol related innovations like the Clean Development Mechanism so that they can
become reliable and adequate funding sources for green projects and employment.
iii. Tax Reform. Scale up eco-taxes, such as those adopted by a number of European
countries, and replicate them as widely as possible. Eco-tax revenues can be used to
lighten the tax burden falling on labor while discouraging polluting and carbon-
intensive economic activities.
iv. Targets and Mandates. Ensure that regulatory tools are used to the fullest extent in the
drive to develop greener technologies, products, and services—and thus green
employment. This includes land-use policies, building codes, energy-efficiency
standards (for appliances, vehicles, etc.), and targets for renewable energy production.
16
Id.
17
O Strietska-Ilina, Skills for green jobs: a global view, Synthesis Report (2011).
18
International Labour Organization (ILO), Decent Work For All, at
www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/WhatisDecentWork/index.htm.
6
v. Energy Alternatives. Adopt innovative policies to overcome barriers to renewable
energy development, including feed-in laws that secure access to the electrical grid at
guaranteed prices.
vi. Product Takeback. Adopt “extended producer responsibility” laws (requiring
companies to take back products at the end of their useful life) for all types of
products.
vii. Eco-Labeling. Adopt eco-labels for all consumer products to ensure that consumers
have access to information needed for responsible purchasing decisions (and hence
encouraging manufacturers to design and market more eco-friendly products).
viii. R&D Budgets. Reduce support for nuclear power and fossil fuels and provide greater
funding for renewable energy and efficiency technologies.
ix. International Aid. Reorient the priorities of national and multilateral development
assistance agencies as well as export credit agencies away from fossil fuels and large-
scale hydropower projects toward greener alternatives.
IV. GREEN JOBS IN INDIA
As a part of the global initiative, the ILO has launched a “Green Jobs Program” and the ILO
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the Subregional/Country Offices in this region
have developed demonstration programmes in Bangladesh, China and India.
To promote the creation of green jobs at national, sub-national and local level, the Green Jobs
Programme leverages different means of action:19
National and sectoral research of the potential for green jobs creation.
Policy advice, based on the outcomes of the research, to better connect environmental
and labour policies.
Pilot projects at sector and local level on green entrepreneurship, green business,
vocational training, employment-intensive infrastructure, etc.
In India, the pursuit of an inclusive growth strategy for poverty reduction and the search for
environmentally sustainable paths are key concerns in the country’s development trajectory.
With the Green Jobs Initiative, the ILO and its partners seek to address and build on the
relation between these goals, by promoting economies and enterprises with a reduced
19
Green Jobs in India, at http://www.ilo.org/newdelhi/whatwedo/projects/lang--en/index.htm.
7
environmental impact that generate meaningful employment and the regeneration of natural
resources.
As a part of the regional programme, a demonstration initiative in India has been started in
collaboration with Development Alternatives/TARA Livelihood Academy in the dairy sector
in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The initiative attempts to pilot-test a value chain development
methodology to foster sustainable development at the local level. The introduction and
adoption of green technologies and practices is supported through a value chain approach that
seeks to identify and promote win-win strategies that bring about economic social and
environmental benefits for enterprises and workers and for the community as a whole, thus
opening up opportunities for green jobs and decent work. A set of complementary
interventions that include a participatory value chain development exercise, business case
studies on selected waste management options, and capacity building modules for local
stakeholders seek to facilitate the development of the local dairy sector while reducing its
environmental impact and promoting socially responsible practices. This experience is
providing key inputs towards the enhancement of the methodology and toolkit for Value
Chain Development for Green Jobs, which will allow for the replication and scaling up of the
approach elsewhere in India and in other countries.20
V. A NEW APPROACH TO WORKING HOURS
Industrial economies are extraordinarily productive—meaning that the same quantity of
output can be produced with less and less human work. In principle, this can translate into
either of two objectives: raising wages (in line with productivity) while holding working
hours constant, or providing greater leisure time while holding income from wages constant.
In practice, it has mostly been the former. Most people have been locked into a “work-and-
spend” pattern.21
Since the rise of mass industrialization in the late 19th century, there has been an ongoing
tug-of war between employers and unions over working hours. Employees have struggled for
less work time—in the form of shortened workdays or weeks, extended vacation time, earlier
retirement, or paid leave.22 These efforts were primarily motivated by a desire to improve the
quality of life and to create more jobs. While environmental issues have not played a central
20
Green Jobs in India, at http://www.ilo.org/newdelhi/whatwedo/projects/lang--en/index.htm.
21
UNEP, ILO, and ITUC IOE, Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable: Low-Carbon World (2008).
22
Id.
8
role, channeling productivity gains toward more leisure time instead of higher wages that can
translate into ever rising consumption also increasingly makes sense from an ecological
perspective. It took close to a century to arrive at the 40-hour workweek in most industrial
countries.23
The discussion about work-time reductions has progressed in starts and fits and remains
controversial.24 Proponents have principally been interested in the potential benefits that such
initiatives would bring with regard to reduced unemployment and gains in quality of life. But
this is also an issue that relates to environmental challenges. If the work-and-spend pattern
can be broken, and if reduced work hours still allow people to make ends meet—admittedly
big “ifs”—then the environmentally destructive impacts of consumerism could be reduced.
At the same time, these are issues that will remain applicable only to a portion of humanity.
For the majority that struggles to escape poverty, long work hours are, at least for the time
being, an inescapable reality.25
VI. A JUST AND FAIR TRANSITION
This chapter considers the social dimension of the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon
economy. The transition itself will be a social process. It involves technological innovations,
shifts in business and investment strategies, as well as a new set of policies—all of which are
products of social interactions and negotiations.26 The framework for a Just Transition will
need to be erected on five broad and interlinked foundation stones, as identified by the ILO.
A. Workers’ Rights
The expansion and enforcement of workers’ rights allows for workers to associate freely with
other workers and organize if they so wish. The capacity for workers to do this will help
ensure that a Just Transition will actually take place. Basic workers rights were embodied in
the ILO’s Declaration of Philadelphia in 1944.27 Moreover, the 1998 ILO Declaration on
23
Id.
24
Martinez-Fernandez, et al., Green jobs and skills: the local labour market implications of addressing climate
change, Working document, OECD (2010).
25
Martinez-Fernandez, et al., Green jobs and skills: the local labour market implications of addressing climate
change, Working document, OECD (2010).
26
UNEP, ILO, and ITUC IOE, Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable: Low-Carbon World (2008).
27
ILO, “Declaration of Philadelphia, 1944,” at www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/iloconst.htm#annex.
9
Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work28 is an expression of commitment by
governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations to uphold basic human values.
B. Decent Work
Rights must be accompanied by opportunities for decent work, as defined by the ILO’s
Decent Work Agenda. Decent work is work that takes place ‘under conditions of freedom,
equity, security and dignity, in which rights are protected and adequate remuneration and
social coverage is provided.’29 Decent work has four pillars: Employment, Social Protection,
Rights, and Social Dialogue. Gender equality is an integral cross-cutting theme in the decent
work agenda. The ILO regards decent work as central to efforts to reduce poverty, and as a
means for achieving equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development.
C. Social Protections
The ILO and others advocate for a “social floor” and rights-based approach to protections.
The ILO’s Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944 30 stated that, “poverty anywhere is a threat to
prosperity everywhere,” thus establishing the principle that “all human beings have the right
to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of
freedom and dignity, of economic security and equal opportunity.” 31 The presence of a solid
social floor is conducive to a Just Transition in that, in principle, it allows workers and
communities to shift into new forms of sustainable economic activity without the fear of
falling into extreme poverty.
D. Social Dialogue
A Just Transition will only be true to its name if transition policies are designed and
implemented with the active participation of those whose lives they affect: employers,
workers, and farmers, ranging from the national level to the local level, on farms, in offices,
and on factory floors. The main goal of social dialogue is to promote the building of a
consensus and the democratic involvement of the main stakeholders in the world of work.
Successful social dialogue structures and processes have the potential to resolve important
28
ILO, “Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, 1998”, at
http://www.ilo.org/declaration/lang--en/index.htm.
29
International Labour Organization (ILO), “Decent Work For All,”
www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Mainpillars/WhatisDecentWork/lang--en/index.htm, viewed 5 May 2008.
30
ILO, “Declaration of Philadelphia, 1944,” at www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/iloconst.htm#annex.
31
ILO, “Declaration of Philadelphia, 1944,” at www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/iloconst.htm#annex.
10
economic and social issues, encourage good governance, advance social and industrial peace
and stability, and boost economic progress.32
E. Sustainable Businesses
The International Labor Conference convened by the ILO in June 2007 discussed the
promotion of sustainable enterprises. An important tool related to sustainable enterprises
within the UN system is the Global Compact, which asks companies to embrace, support, and
enact a set of 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labor standards, the environment,
and anti-corruption. The Global Compact provides a platform for responsible corporate
behavior and a framework within which an employers’ policy on climate change can be
developed and help contribute to a Just Transition.
VII. TRADE UNION APPROACHES
The trade union understanding of the concept of Just Transition often combines elements of
strategy (as a component of education, mobilization, and bargaining); a policy or collective
bargaining “mechanism” to aid certain groups of workers affected by employment changes;
or an overarching principle like that of social solidarity.33
The trade unions’ approach to Just Transition is entirely consistent with the ILO’s efforts to
win broad and meaningful commitments to workers’ rights, basic protections, decent work,
and social dialogue.34 The starting point for the trade unions is the realization that the
transition to a green economy will create both risks and opportunities for workers. Therefore,
the trade unions have made Just Transition a top priority. Trade unions wish to ensure that
workers who lose their jobs as a result of moves toward sustainability should be adequately
protected and assisted. This is not just an issue of equity, but it is also means to reduce
resistance to change among groups of workers who would lose as a result of environmental
protection policies.35
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory
Committee to the OECD (TUAC) have highlighted the need for worker retraining and
protections for those who are driven out of the labor market either permanently or
32
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) statement to COP13, at www.global-
unions.org/pdf/ohsewpP_12Bc.EN.pdf.
33
Cai, Wenjia, et al., Green economy and green jobs: Myth or reality? (2011).
34
Id.
35
Id.
11
temporarily. Unions are also concerned that communities harmed by the closure of
workplaces are targeted for fresh investment as part of a Just Transition, and that new jobs
created (like green jobs in general) are of good quality and pay enough to sustain workers and
their families. At the UN’s climate change negotiations, the ITUC and TUAC have also
promoted the need for further research on the short and long-term employment effects
through sector-by-sector and regional employment analyses.36
Just Transition is, however, more than just about the protection of those who might be
negatively impacted by climate protection and other environmental policies. Unions have also
highlighted the need to involve workers in all levels of decision making, but especially in the
workplace where the worker/union voice is needed in determining the design of new
sustainable production systems and work practices.
VIII. CONCLUSION
Interest in green jobs has reached extraordinary levels. With this interest has come an
infectious optimism regarding the potential of green employment. In a sense, the green job
has become something of an emblem for both a new and sustainable economy and a more just
society. However, there still remain gaps to be filled. Governments should commission in-
depth modeling and econometric efforts to analyze not just direct green jobs but also those
that are related in a more indirect manner. Business associations and trade unions can play a
useful part as well. Some have begun to do job surveys and profiles, but far more of these
kinds of efforts are needed. Attention also needs to be given to disaggregating data on the
basis of gender in order to ensure that there is equality of opportunity for women and men for
green jobs.
There is some uncertainty with regard to the question of whether green jobs are decent jobs.
There is an enormous range in terms of skill requirements, occupational profiles, career
prospects, and wages among green jobs. And there is a panoply of working conditions and
worker rights. Green jobs can be good jobs, but this depends to some extent on technical
aspects (that is, the extent to which certain types of work expose workers to hazards), and on
the degree to which union organizing and collective bargaining are permitted. Many biofuel
plantation jobs are unlikely to meet decent work standards. Recycling can entail dirty,
Principles 7, 8, and 9 cover environmental issues, per UN Global Compact, at
36
www.unglobalcompact.org/aboutthegc/ thetenprinciples/environment.html.
12
undesirable, and hazardous work—as is the case in the electronic scrap industry and for the
many thousands in ship dismantling in South Asia.
The potential for further green job growth is tremendous. Renewable energy is poised for
continued expansion, and may generate more than 8 million jobs in wind and solar energy
sectors. Manufacturing the world’s motor vehicles by incorporating the very best in fuel-
efficient technology would dramatically lessen their environmental footprint and create green
jobs in this key industry.
13
IX. BIBLIOGRAPHY
A Bowen, Green Growth, Green Jobs and Labor Markets, World Bank Policy Research
Working Paper (2012).
Cai, Wenjia, et al., Green economy and green jobs: Myth or reality? (2011).
Frequently Asked Questions on Green Jobs, at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-
jobs/WCMS_214247_EN/lang--en/index.htm.
Green Jobs (ILO), at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/lang--en/index.htm.
Green Jobs in India, at http://www.ilo.org/newdelhi/whatwedo/projects/lang--en/index.htm.
ILO, “Declaration of Philadelphia, 1944,” at www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/iloconst.htm#annex.
International Labour Organization (ILO), Decent Work For All, at
www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/WhatisDecentWork/index.htm.
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) statement to COP13, at www.global-
unions.org/pdf/ohsewpP_12Bc.EN.pdf.
Martinez-Fernandez, et al., Green jobs and skills: the local labour market implications of
addressing climate change, Working document, OECD (2010).
O Strietska-Ilina, Skills for green jobs: a global view, Synthesis Report (2011).
The ILO’s Green Jobs Programme, at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-
jobs/WCMS_213842/lang--en/index.htm.
UN Global Compact, at
www.unglobalcompact.org/aboutthegc/thetenprinciples/environment.html.
UNEP Implements Green Jobs, at http://www.unep.org/civil-
society/Partnerships/GreenJobs/tabid/104810/Default.aspx.
UNEP, ILO, and ITUC IOE, Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable: Low-
Carbon World (2008).
Website of the International Labour Organisation, at http://www.ilo.org.
What is a Green Job, at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-
jobs/news/WCMS_220248/lang--en/index.htm.
14
