Workers’ Meeting: Strengthening a Just Transition Amidst Global Trade Liberalization
Public Services International (PSI) together with the Civil Society Coalition for Economic Justice (Koalisi MKE) and the Transnational Institute held a Workers’ Meeting entitled “Just Energy Transition in Global Trade” in Jakarta, November 18, 2025.
The meeting, attended by 82 leaders and activists, served as a crucial meeting place for labor/trade unions, civil society organizations, and representatives of international organizations to strengthen workers’ positions in the broader national energy and industrialization transformation. The meeting initiated from shared concerns about Indonesia’s development, which relies on downstream mineral processing, the use of new energy sources, and involvement in global trade regimes that often marginalize the interests of working people.
Indonesia is navigating a contradictory situation. On the one hand, industrialization and the utilization of critical minerals are being used as drivers of economic growth; on the other, fundamental questions arise about who will actually benefit, who holds the reins, and to what extent this transition agenda incorporates elements of social justice. In this context, the Workers’ Gathering serves as a strategic space to position workers not as victims of change, but as actors crucial to determining the direction of transformation.
In the opening session, Indah Budiarti of Public Services International (PSI) delivered a powerful speech mapping the relationship between the energy transition, the public interest, and the direction of national development. She explained PSI’s mandate as an international trade union federation representing more than 30 million workers in 154 countries, including Indonesia. Indah emphasized that the issue of energy transition should not be narrowed down to technology, energy mix, or investment; rather, it is about who controls energy, who benefits it, and who bears the impacts.
She drew particular attention to the document entitled “Article 33 Scenario: Towards a Public Path Approach to a Just Transition in the Electricity Sector in Indonesia,” prepared by electricity sector unions – SP PLN Persero, SP PT PLN Nusantara Power and Persatuan Pegawai PT PLN Indonesia Power. She believes this document is the most comprehensive framework currently available, addressing the energy transition from a constitutional perspective, rather than a market-based approach. According to Indah, energy unions fully recognize the urgency of addressing the climate crisis and reducing emissions; however, they reject the idea of transforming the energy transition into new business opportunities, the commercialization of electricity, and dependence on foreign funding that could undermine national sovereignty.
Indah emphasized that the energy transition must be understood as a structural transformation, not simply a shift in energy sources. She outlined four fundamental principles: public ownership of the entire electricity supply chain; affordable electricity prices that are not subject to commercial mechanisms; comprehensive protection for workers through social security, skills development, and decent work placement; and enforcement of occupational safety standards and protection of affected communities.
“Energy sovereignty is a prerequisite for popular sovereignty. If energy is subject to market logic, the people’s future becomes a commodity,” she said.
Facilitated by Tuti Suwartini of FSP FARKES Reformasi, the discussion then moved on to Panel 1, which mapped the meaning of just transition from a global and working-class perspective. Rachmi Hertanti from the Transnational Institute described how global trade liberalization creates structural inequalities that place countries in the Global South in a vulnerable position. Kahar S. Cahyono from KSPI reminded that a just transition is a class struggle, as workers are most affected when jobs are lost due to technological change but are not involved in the decision-making process. Meanwhile, Ed Miller from CICTAR highlighted the issue of transition financing, which currently relies on debt and foreign investment, a pattern that places control of the transition in the hands of external parties.
Panel 2 featured a more technical discussion on the energy sector and industrialization. Andy Wijaya from PP-IP explained how the privatization process can be disguised as a just transition, while in fact releasing public assets and opening up space for private domination. Siti Eni from KASBI interpreted the transition as an opportunity to build a more equitable economic transformation through collaboration between cross-sectoral people’s movements. Olisias Gultom from the Sahita Institute added that digitalization in the energy and mining sectors is not simply a technological advancement, but a shift in control over data and work processes that significantly impacts workers’ conditions.
In addition to the panel discussion, the meeting also held focus group discussions, which served as a crucial platform for directly capturing the experiences, anxieties, and hopes of workers from various sectors. In the discussion, participants began by questioning the meaning of a just transition for workers. Most agreed that a just transition is workers’ political position on the energy transition agenda. Workers reject a market-driven transition and demand that the state assume primary responsibility to ensure the transition does not create new inequalities. A just transition means workers do not lose their jobs, their future, and they gain access to new skills training and adequate social security.
Many participants described the immediate pressures workers are beginning to feel as a result of the energy transition agenda. Changes in technology and production systems have increased costs, particularly through rising electricity tariffs influenced by the private sector’s role in the energy sector. Most mining workers expressed fear of losing their future due to the lack of a clear, pro-worker energy transition roadmap. Some participants raised the issue of dumping, which is damaging the national industry, while others noted that state-owned and private companies are starting to build new capacity, potentially drastically changing the work structure.
Workers also explained that digitalization has transformed productivity standards and daily work activities. They see the shift from manual to digital tools as a transition that requires workers to adapt, not only technically but also financially, as many workers must bear the costs of adjustment themselves. Automation has the potential to reduce the need for manual labor, leaving workers competing with machines and algorithms. Work activities become more flexible but also more vulnerable, while the demand for technological skills increases without adequate training. The development of new energy infrastructure has even brought additional automation, further accelerating changes in work patterns at the factory and field levels.
The discussion also revealed that workers need a multi-level advocacy strategy that moves from the grassroots to the international level. At the grassroots level, workers emphasized the importance of increasing knowledge, incorporating energy transition and JET issues into the collective labor agreement (PKB), and discussing energy transformation through the Bipartite LKS (Lembaga Kerja Bersama Bipartite). At the national level, they sought policy space that would allow energy transition issues to become part of the tripartite agenda, particularly through the establishment of a Tripartite LKS specifically for energy transition and aligning the vision for worker training with future industrial needs. At the international level, workers recognized the need to strengthen global networks, analyze international supply chains, and build solidarity with environmental and women’s movements to address the increasingly oppressive global political economy.
The meeting emphasized one important point: that energy transition is not merely a technical shift towards clean energy, but a political struggle over who will control resources, who will determine the direction of development, and who will enjoy the benefits. Participants agreed that a true transition is one that returns power to workers, is based on a constitutional mandate, and is oriented toward collective well-being, not corporate interests or market mechanisms. Therefore, a public pathway approach to a just energy transition is essential to ending the neoliberal approach. Thus, we must ensure that the only way to achieve the justice and inclusivity we need in the energy transition is through strong public investment, ownership, and governance of renewable energy sources.
