BWI raises workers’ voices at C40 Summit in Argentina
C40, a network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities, and which BWI has a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with, brought together leaders of cities around the world who have made outstanding efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere, and respond to climate change. This diverse coalition of thought leaders and influencers came together to participate in discussions on how to achieve a just and inclusive recovery from the pandemic, realise wellness cities, and address the urgent need for “climate action financing.’
Adalberto “Bebeto” Galvao from SINTEPAV-Brazil, Paula Dorado from CIT-Mexico, and BWI’s Linnea Wikstrom and Ernesto Marval participated in the various spaces of the summit promoting the inclusion of workers in decision-making processes related to global challenges related to climate change and the just transition.
One of the interventions made by the BWI delegation was from Galvao during the roundtable discussion with the mayors of the cities of the Inter-American Development Bank IDB Network. “There is a need to ensure that social dialogue is part of the decision-making processes when planning on how to achieve a green society,” he said.
Meanwhile, a discussion led by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Wikström focused on the need to ensure that green jobs are also “safe and decent jobs.” They also issued a joint call to make use of the “once-in-a-generation chance to deliver green skills development, retraining for workers, employment support programmes and access to comprehensive social protection through collaboration with cities, social dialogue and collective bargaining between companies and trade unions.”
BWI and its affiliates UOCRA, FOCRA, USIMRA and UOLRA also took the opportunity to maximise the C40 Summit to share the recent decisions of their 5th World Congress where the issues and challenges of a just transition to a sustainable and green economy were discussed.