Just Transition: What's Exactly in it for Workers

Abstract

The compelling story of coal-fired electricity plant closures in Australia as recountedat an International Confederation of Trade Unions workshop on Just Transition inOctober 2017 was the initial inspiration for the Labour Education Centre’s four casestudies on Just Transition. In these four examples, LEC is examining Just Transitionfrom a worker’s point of view to understand the extent to which the interests ofworkers were being taken into consideration before, during, or after coal plantswere closed. The case studies represent four different approaches taken to shuttingdown coal-fired electricity plants. The four cases studied were the closure of all coalplants in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Alberta, the Hazelwood coal plantclosure in the Latrobe Valley, State of Victoria, Australia; and the plant and feedercoal mine located in Port Augusta in the Australian state of South Australia.