Magdalena Valerio insists that social dialogue is essential for a Just Transition

She also called for concerted action between central government, regional governments and local authorities to create a job relocation plan for workers affected by the energy transition.

As part of the Climate Conference (COP25) being held in Madrid, the acting minister presented the panel discussion entitled "Main Lessons Learned for the Reconversion of Coal Mining Regions". Taking part were representatives from trade unions and companies linked to mining, as well as associations with ties to the sector.

In her speech, the acting minister recalled that Spain has been a pioneer in the design of a Just Transition Strategy that incorporates solutions based on solidarity "not leaving anyone behind" and that guarantees social cohesion. This is a path, she said, in which social protection for workers affected is "key". Older workers who lose their jobs will be able to take early retirement, while younger people will have the right to compensation to allow them to move to other jobs. She also explained that work is already being done to design specific plans to generate jobs in the short and medium term that will be supplemented with a reassignment, which "requires" concerted action by central government, regional governments and local authorities.

This planning is combined with active employment policies and existing plans such as the Youth Employment Action Plan 2019-2021, the Reincorpora-T Plan, the Spanish Employment Activation Strategy and the Annual Employment Plans, together with the regional governments.

"We will act to boost new enterprises, to fight against depopulation in rural areas and to generate activity and employment in the affected areas", she said.

Participatory Transition Agreements

Magdalena Valerio focused on these agreements as tools for implementing the Just Transition Strategy. "We want the agreements to promote participation by business organisations and trade unions, universities, educational centres, associations and non-governmental environmental organisations, development agencies, local action groups and other interested or affected parties".

The Spanish experience demonstrates that coordinated action may generate agreements such as the Framework Agreement for Sustainable Development for Mining Regions, signed by the Government of Spain, trade unions and employers in the coal sector (October 2018), which contains a raft of measures providing immediate support to mining workers, activation for the concession of aid to mining regions within the 2013-2030 framework and short-term finance.

The acting minister recalled that the Just Transition Agreements are included in the proposed Just Transition Strategy and in the draft Bill on Climate Change and the Energy Transition, announcing that work was already being done on a number of agreements with the regional governments in Asturias, Aragon and Castile-Leon, which will be signed in early 2020.

It is a "common strategic framework", she explained, whose goal is to use the economic, social and environmental resources of the region in question to attract external investment in sectors that also present the best environmental, economic and social sustainability results". The aim is to prevent the depopulation of territories affected by the energy transition.

Magdalena Valerio ended her speech recalling that it is the government's "obligation" to "invest in the capacity of people" through training and support for the transitions that people have to face; "invest in employment institutions" that guarantee a future for employment with "freedom, dignity, economic security and equality, which make up the cornerstones of fair societies;" and finally, to "increase investment in decent and sustainable work, adapting economic and social policy to business practice, decent work and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development".

Non official translation