Twin transition on the ground: workers must have a say in industrial change

On 21–22 September, 45 trade union representatives from nine European countries met in Stockholm for a regional workshop on the green and digital transitions. Participants discussed how trade unions can respond to growing industrial pressures, delayed green investments and the rapid development of AI. The workshop focused on using collective bargaining and social dialogue to ensure that workers are actively involved in managing change and that Europe’s green and digital transitions are both fair and socially responsible.

Five years after industriAll Europe first took stock of the green and digital transitions on the ground, the reality facing Europe’s industrial workers has changed dramatically. Restructuring, geopolitical tensions and trade conflicts are putting industry under pressure, green investments are being delayed, and artificial intelligence (AI) is developing at unprecedented speed.

Against this backdrop, anticipating and managing change – with workers at the table – is more important than ever.

On 21-22 September, 45 trade union representatives gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, for the second in industriAll Europe’s new series of regional workshops on the twin transition. Trade unionists from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg exchanged with experts on how collective bargaining and social dialogue can deliver a Just Transition and fair digitalisation.

Green investment losing momentum

The debate around Europe’s green transition has shifted significantly in just five years. In 2021, optimism around the European Green Deal and the potential of industrial decarbonisation dominated political and corporate agendas. Companies announced ambitious targets and investment plans.
Today, many investments are being delayed or scaled back, while parts of industry are pushing for legislation to be weakened or postponed.

Discussions in Stockholm highlighted the importance of a strong industrial policy, particularly as Europe’s open economies face geopolitical tensions, trade conflicts and growing international competition.

Energy policy is also crucial. High dependency on imported energy and gas has contributed to high energy prices, putting additional pressure on industrial production. Countries that invested early in renewable energy are now benefiting from lower import dependency and greater protection from price shocks.

Delaying the green transition will not make the need for industrial transformation disappear. Instead, it risks making change more disruptive for workers and industrial regions.

AI: speed is not everything

While green investments are slowing, AI has rapidly moved up the industrial agenda.

AI dominates the headlines, but its actual deployment in European industry remains uneven. European companies are generally moving more slowly than some international competitors, with Nordic countries among the most advanced in Europe.

For trade unions, however, speed should not be the measure of success.

Participants discussed the crucial difference between using AI to automate work – potentially replacing tasks and jobs – and using it to augment work by supporting workers to perform their jobs better.

Workers and their representatives must therefore be informed and consulted before new technologies are introduced. Early involvement can help ensure that investments respond to real workplace needs, while protecting jobs, working conditions and workers’ rights.

Participants also warned about “AI-washing”: companies presenting restructuring and job cuts as the inevitable consequence of AI, even when technology is not the real driver.

Social dialogue makes the difference

The experience of Nordic countries shows that strong social dialogue, robust welfare systems and well-developed lifelong learning can help manage industrial transformation and support fair job-to-job transitions.

But this model cannot be taken for granted. Social dialogue and collective bargaining are under increasing pressure in other parts of the region.
The European Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages offers an opportunity to strengthen collective bargaining. Yet many national Action Plans rely on soft measures that are unlikely to deliver the necessary increase in bargaining coverage. industriAll Europe calls on the European Commission to push Member States to strengthen their plans where necessary.

Isabelle Barthès, industriAll Europe’s Deputy General Secretary, said:

“Five years may not sound like a long time, but the reality has changed dramatically. In 2021, we expected the green transition to accelerate and transform industry. Today, AI has emerged as another major disruptor, even if deployment in European industry remains slow.

“But slow is not necessarily bad. Building pro-worker AI takes time. Using AI to augment rather than replace work requires investment, training, collective bargaining and meaningful worker involvement.

“Trade unions must be at the forefront of these developments, shaping technological change rather than simply reacting to it.”

The message from Stockholm is clear: whatever the technology or transformation, a Just Transition depends on anticipating change, investing in workers and skills, and ensuring that workers have a real say through strong collective bargaining and social dialogue.

The workshop is part of industriAll Europe’s two-year EU-funded project to strengthen collective bargaining and social dialogue. It was the second of three regional workshops, which will be followed by a final conference.