Pacific trade unions stepped up their collective efforts to advance a worker-centred Just Transition and equitable climate finance at Pacific Pre-COP31 Meeting, held in Fiji and Tuvalu from 5 to 8 October 2026.
Coordinated by the Pacific Islands Council of Trade Unions (PICTU), with active engagement from the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), the Fiji Trades Union Congress (FTUC) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the trade union delegation brought together representatives from across the region to ensure that labour rights, decent work, and social dialogue remained central in climate discussions leading up to the COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye
To consolidate regional priorities, coordinate interventions at Pre-COP31, and strengthen solidarity among Pacific trade unions, 25 delegates from six PICTU affiliates, including women and youth representatives, convened in Nadi, Fiji on 4 October 2026 for a planning meeting.
In his address, ITUC-Asia Pacific General Secretary Shoya Yoshida stressed that workers must have a decisive role in shaping climate policies and the transition to low-carbon economies. He said:
“We cannot simply be people who must adjust to decisions made by others; we must be the decision-makers. If decisions are made without workers having a voice, it is not a Just Transition.”
He underscored that a genuine Just Transition must guarantee job security, social protection, skills development, and investment in affected communities, supported by meaningful social dialogue.
The meeting opened with an address by Mr Atish Kumar, Acting Permanent Secretary of Fiji’s Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations. His participation provided an important opportunity for engagement between the Fijian Government and Pacific trade unions ahead of Pre-COP31, reinforcing the importance of social dialogue in shaping climate policies. Bert De Wel of the ITUC outlined the international trade union movement’s key demands for COP31, while Daniel Sherrell of Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) presented joint Australian and Pacific trade union priorities.
Participants agreed to prioritise climate finance that effectively reaches Pacific Island countries disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. They also committed to engaging ministers and government representatives directly during Pre-COP31 and following up with their respective governments to advance workers’ demands beyond the conference.
These priorities were carried into the Pre-COP31 discussions, beginning with the stakeholder opening plenary on 5 October, where ACTU President Michele O’Neill and FTUC National Secretary Felix Anthony presented workers’ perspectives on the climate crisis.
Michele O’Neill highlighted how workers and their communities are already bearing the consequences of climate change through extreme heat, fires, floods, rising sea levels and increasing living costs. She said:
“Fossil fuel corporations are destabilising our climate. Working people are paying the price. The climate crisis is a crisis for workers and their communities. Climate action must put people and their livelihoods at the centre.”
Meanwhile, Felix Anthony drew attention to the disproportionate burden borne by Pacific countries despite their limited contribution to global emissions. He called for stronger international solidarity and challenged the continued public financial support for fossil fuel industries. He asserted:
“Solidarity with the Pacific would mean spending that money on a just transition instead—not out of charity, but as a wise investment in a shared future.”
Trade union demands were also brought directly into the ministerial segment of Pre-COP31, where Felix Anthony called for stronger social dialogue, international cooperation, and climate finance. He stressed that solidarity and social justice are essential to raising climate ambition and urged governments to advance negotiations on the Just Transition Mechanism to deliver concrete outcomes for workers and communities.
Trade unions further advanced these messages through a dedicated side event, Workers and Governments United for Just Transition, on 5 October, which attracted approximately 70 registered participants.
Moderated by PICTU Coordinator Raghwan Satya, the discussion featured Michele O’Neill, Felix Anthony, Vanuatu Trades Union Congress President Annette Daniel, Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress representative Anton Sekum, and Fiji’s Acting Permanent Secretary Atish Kumar.
The panellists shared experiences of how climate change is affecting workers across the Pacific and Australia, while highlighting trade union efforts to shape the energy transition, defend decent jobs and ensure fair treatment for affected workers and communities.
Closing the event, Shoya Yoshida emphasised that a Just Transition in the Pacific requires adequate, equitable and accessible climate finance. He called for greater contributions from the Global North, non-debt-creating public finance and meaningful worker participation in climate decision-making.
The broader trade union presence also included Public Services International (PSI) and Education International (EI), which organised a separate side event on 8 October, Just Transition for Pacific Island Frontline Workers, highlighting the experiences and priorities of workers in essential public services, including health and education.
The coordinated engagement at Pacific Pre-COP31 reinforced the collective demands of trade unions for a Just Transition away from fossil fuels that protects workers’ rights, creates decent jobs, and addresses the unequal impacts of climate change.
For Pacific Island countries, this requires not only meaningful worker participation in climate policies but also international solidarity and climate finance that does not deepen debt or economic dependency.
Building on the commitments made during the planning meeting and the discussions at Pre-COP31, the ITUC, ITUC-Asia Pacific and Pacific trade unions will continue engaging governments at the national and international levels to advance these priorities towards COP31.
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