Just Transition, No Worker Left Behind

As we move into April month six of our Year of Climate Action the phrase “just transition” is being used more and more by politicians, employers, and campaigners. But for BFAWU members, the meaning is clear and practical: a just transition means that working people must not be left to pay the price for a crisis we didn’t create.

It’s about fairness. It’s about power. And it’s about ensuring that as industries change to meet the challenges of the climate crisis, no worker is left behind.

Climate Change, Corporate Failure, and Working-Class Consequences

We didn’t choose an economic model that puts profit above people and the planet, but we live with its consequences every day. Whether it’s unsafe heat levels in food factories, supply chain disruptions caused by extreme weather, or rising prices on basic goods, it’s workers who feel the impact first.

Now, as the world talks about “net zero” and “green innovation,” we face another risk: that the move to a greener economy becomes an excuse for job losses, factory closures, and further deregulation while the same corporations that caused the problem walk away with new subsidies and tax breaks.

That’s not transition. That’s corporate greenwash, and working people must refuse to accept it.

Putting Workers at the Centre of Change

A genuine just transition means putting workers, not shareholders, in control of the process of change. It means planning ahead not waiting until jobs disappear and communities are hollowed out. It means training, investment, and collective bargaining, not redundancy notices and false promises.

BFAWU members know what real leadership looks like. It’s not photo opportunities or corporate “sustainability statements.” It’s reps standing up for their colleagues, demanding a voice in how production changes, and fighting for jobs that are both secure and sustainable.

That’s why our movement is calling for a worker-led transition one based on public investment, strong unions, and democratic control over how our food systems, energy use, and industries evolve in the years ahead.

Fair Work for a Fair Future

Every conversation about the climate crisis should also be a conversation about jobs. How do we ensure that the new green economy delivers decent pay, safety, and dignity for workers? How do we make sure that automation, new technologies, and environmental targets don’t deepen inequality but instead reduce it?

The answer lies where it always has in collective action.

Workers and their unions are best placed to ensure that climate action delivers for people as well as the planet. Because we understand what’s needed on the ground: safe work, fair pay, and security for families and communities.

No Worker Left Behind

The climate crisis demands change, but that change must be fair, planned, and led by the people who do the work. We can’t repeat the mistakes of the past, when industrial transitions were imposed from above, leaving communities to crumble and livelihoods destroyed.

A just transition means no worker left behind, no community forgotten, and no profit-driven shortcuts at the expense of people or the planet.

BFAWU will keep fighting to make that vision real through organising, bargaining, and building a movement that refuses to let working-class people be the collateral damage of climate inaction or corporate greed.

Because the green economy we need won’t be handed down to us it will be built by us, together, through the power of organised labour.