Green jobs, the high utility rates and competitiveness

Green jobs can be defined as jobs in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development, administrative, and services activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. Specifically but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials and water consumption through high-efficiency strategies, decarbonise the economy; and minimise or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution.

From a trade union perspective, green jobs need to involve decent work, namely good jobs that offer adequate wages, safe working conditions, job security, reasonable career prospects and worker rights. People's livelihoods and sense of dignity are bound up tightly with their jobs. A job that is exploitative, harmful, fails to pay a living wage and thus condemns workers to a life of poverty can hardly be called green.

A study commissioned by the ETC and conducted by Edward Scicluna in December 2007 gives a very comprehensive review of all the environment-related acquis applicable to Malta. This study gives a very detailed account of which sectors are affected, the type of economic activity that would be demanded by industry and households to conform to the acquis. The study also identifies future job opportunities, training needs and the applicable schemes which the ETC can organise and get the relative funding from the EU. This is very important if we need to plan ahead for Malta to conform to the acquis.

The study found that the environmental goods and services industry in Malta employs approximately three per cent of the national labour force and contributes about two per cent of GDP. The employment growth of this industry is an average rate of six per cent per annum. Since the jobs identified are mainly related with complying with the acquis they can therefore be termed as a cost to the economy which however will benefit the population at large because the quality of life will certainly improve.

The General Workers' Union last year submitted a set of proposals to the government to jump-start the economy so that we will exit the recession as soon as possible. These proposals included the setting up of cooperatives to conduct energy audits in households and industry. Other proposals included increasing incentives for photo-voltaic systems so that these become more cost-effective and their pay-back period is reduced. Needless to say with the increase in the proliferation of photo-voltaic systems and solar water heaters more quality green jobs will be generated.

The General Workers' Union also feels that Malta Enterprise should strive to attract more foreign direct investment so that green jobs are created in the manufacturing sector for the local and export markets. Green jobs in the manufacturing sector are considered to be high value-added and thus require specialist skills. They are therefore less prone to be lost or outsourced to low cost countries in the Far East or North Africa.

The University also has a role to play to contribute to the creation of the green economy which some experts believe has the potential to become bigger than the ICT industry. It is therefore very encouraging to hear that the University of Malta will be setting up an Institute for Sustainable Development and that one of the main pillars of this institute is a masters degree programme for the commercialisation of ideas and innovation. Hopefully, this could be the platform so that research and development on green technology could finally find its way in fully-fledged commercial products and services being marketed both locally and abroad.

Studies have shown that, as the moves towards a low-carbon and more sustainable economy gathers momentum, a growing numbers of green jobs will be created. Although winners are likely to far outnumber the losers, some workers may be hurt in the economic restructuring toward sustainability. Countries, regions and companies that become leaders in green innovation, design, and technology development are more likely to retain and create green jobs. But workers and communities dependent on mining, fossil fuels, and smokestack industries, or companies that are slow to rise to the environmental challenge will surely confront a much bigger challenge to diversify their economies.

Malta unfortunately is still fully dependent on fossil fuels for the generation and production of electricity and water. The high energy tariffs imposed by the government, although perhaps contributing towards reducing consumption and waste on the short term, are on the other hand contributing towards increasing the burdens on consumers and industry. The end result is that conditions of work are deteriorating, the cost of living is increasing and that jobs are being lost. This is a sure sign that our country is lacking behind in taking concrete measures to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, reduce our carbon footprint, become more competitive and create more green jobs in the process.

There is no more time to be lost, we have been talking far too much on reducing our dependency on fossil fuels with very little concrete action being taken by the government, and when taken, unfortunately, this was in the opposite direction. According to the editorial of The Times of January 26, the government has yet to submit its report to the European Commission forecasting its 2020 renewable energy targets, and the share of this target as compared to the total energy requirements. This document had to be submitted a month ago. This clearly shows that this issue is not being taken seriously enough, the time for speeches, seminars and conferences is over, as the saying goes; actions speak louder than words!

The author is president of the General Workers' Union.