Labour

As part of its work with business and industry, UNEP DTIE regularly involves labour in its activities. Labour representatives attend the Annual Consultative Meeting on Business and Industry held in Paris. In training materials developed by UNEP and partner organisations, the role of informed employees is central.

As part of UNEP's Green Conomy Initative, work on Green jobs has been carried out to review the complexity and relevante of envionmental challenges and employment.

UNEP joined the International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC – formerly ICFTU) in launching the Green Jobs Initiative. The aim is to assess, analyze and promote the role of employment in efforts to mitigate and adapt to global climate change. This exciting new work stream supports activities by governments, employers and trade unions to promote environmentally sustainable jobs. A preliminary report entitled “Green Jobs: Towards Sustainable Work in a Low Carbon World” was developed under this initiative and introduced at the World Economic Forum in January 2008. The final Green Jobs Report will present an analysis of employment levels, provide estimates and projections of green jobs around the world, and identify key policy areas to develop a Green Jobs Strategy. For more information, see UNEP- ILO- ITUC Green Jobs Initiative.

In 2006 UNEP, the ILO and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) co-hosted the WILL 2006 Trade Union Assembly on Labour and the Environment. Attended by union leaders from over 150 countries, the Assembly followed up on undertakings made at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) related to decent work, an environmentally sound, healthy and safe working environment. Case study presentations and working group discussions focused on issues such as climate change, chemicals risks, occupational health and safety. For more information read the full WILL 2006 meeting report (PDF), as well as conclusions from the working group on Enterprise Social Responsibility. The latter group agreed on six key elements that need to be part of any definition of ESR/CSR.

The background of WILL 2006 goes back to 2002. At the WSSD, UNEP co-hosted a high level meeting with the ICFTU, the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and the ILO entitled 'Fashoning a New Deal'. The key objective of this conference was the to identify linkages between sustainable employment practices and environmental management. It resulted in a commitment by UNEP, ILO and ICFTU/TUAC to start a joint programme of work on labour and sustainable development issues.

UNEP & the International Labour Organisation (ILO)

As core agencies in the UN Global Compact, UNEP and ILO are working closer to integrate good working conditions and environmental care. The two agencies led the development of the Global Compact Resource Package, published in 2003. Following the 2002 Johannesburg Summit, UNEP and ILO also agreed to start the introduction of labour related issues in training at the UNEP/UNIDO network of National Cleaner Production Centres.

UNEP & the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)

UNEP collaborates with the ITUC on an ongoing basis, in particular through the new Green Jobs Initiative launched in 2007. This follows years of collaboration with its predecessor, the ICFTU, as well as the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and Global Union Federations.

In co-operation with UNEP and the ILO, the ICFTU/TUAC launched in 2002 a workplace assessment programme to provide Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) officers with the tools and support structures needed to perform workplace assessments. The term 'workplace assessment' refers to the process whereby trade unions jointly evaluate the environmental, occupational and social standards of workplaces. It relies on commonly agreed checklists against which workplace standards are screened.

With support from the Spanish Development Co-operation Agency (AEC), a trade union-based foundation called 'SustainLabour' was set up to co-ordinate the implementation of workplace assessments activities regionally and to provide a common structure for the various organisations involved. UNEP is involved regularly in events organised by the Foundation. (see press release PDF - 11KB)

Unions, Sustainable Consumption and Production

At the request of UNEP DTIE a study on labour unions and sustainable consumption and production was conducted by the Ecologic Institute in May 2004. The study analyses the actual and potential role of labour unions in the process towards more sustainable consumption and production patterns, providing a number of case studies from Germany, United Kingdom, United States, South Africa and Indonesia. Download and print the PDF version of this report (304 KB).