The future of work and the transition to a green economy must be designed so as to reduce inequality, poverty and misery on our planet, EESC president says

"Decent income and vocational training must be provided to all those who will be affected by the negative effects of the transition to a green economy, with a view to enhance their employability in the new green industries. Thus, the involvement of the social partners and civil society organisations is absolutely essential", Georges Dassis emphasised in his speech delivered at the 106th Session of the International Labour Conference.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is holding its annual Conference in Geneva from 5-16 June 2017. Worker, employer and government delegates from the ILO's 187 Member States tackle a wide range of issues, including labour migration, occupational safety and health, climate change and women in the world of work.

Mr Dassis began by congratulating the ILO, which under the leadership of Director General Guy Ryder has carried out an in-depth reflection on the issue of the future of work, which the EESC was actively involved in.  Stressing that climate change has become an element of fundamental importance on the global agenda, the EESC president underlined that it is essential to promote a fair transition towards environmental sustainability in order to effectively deal with the challenges of decent work and environmental protection.

Concluding, the EESC president noted that ignoring climate change will inevitably damage economic growth. We must, therefore, act to ensure that in transitioning to a green economy we do not lead workers employed in traditional industries to unemployment and misery. "In this regard, the EESC president said, we need comprehensive and coherent set of policies to promote more environmentally-friendly products and services, which will also lead to new types of employment and technological innovation.