Just Transition in the German Coal Mining Regions
Revierwende is a project initiated in 2021 by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) to support a just transition in the regions affected by the phasing out of coal mining and coal based power production.
So what is „Revierwende“?
The term consists of two words:
Revier: turf, district, neighbourhood, stomping ground. Reference to the cultural and geographical boundaries of coal mining regions.
Wende: change or turning point. As in “Die Wende”, a term for the peaceful revolution of 1989 that led to German reunification.
The Project:
The Revierwende project is the central contribution of the trade union movement to ensuring worker participation and representation of their interests in the process of phasing out coal mining and coal-based energy production. It was created with the support of the Federal Ministry of Economics and began work in October 2021. The projects main goals are
- Strengthening employee participation in the structural development of the coalfields
- Provide an inclusive approach with outreach beyond trade unions and work councils and the core energy sector
- Enable knowledge transfer of good practices across the coal regions and beyond
Regional Focus
The project will support workers, works councils, local unions, and employees through its regional offices in all remaining coal regions. With a staff of more than 20 colleagues, the Revierwende-Team is active where it counts: the home regions and workplaces of those affected by the coal phase out.
Six offices in the coal regions of Rhineland/Ruhr Area, Lusatia and Central Germany,
- Provide knowledge transfer, networking & public outreach
- Events and publications on Just Transition, innovation topics and good practices
- Establish local networks, innovation workshops with workers
- Knowledge transfer across regions and states
- Consult, qualify and train
- Workers, especially skilled young workers at local level, trade unionists and works councils
- On basics of structural development, regional politics and technical know-how
- Maintain a strong focus on the DGB Decent Work Index and ensuring that work is covered by collective bargaining agreements & co-determination
