"National Union of Electricity Employees joined the TUED network because the best thing that has ever happened and continues to happen to Nigeria and any country is Public ownership of energy sector. It is not just economic, but safer, more sustainable and serves a greater percentage of the masses of the nation. No nation has ever developed its energy sector solely on the private pathway," shared Joe Ajaero, President Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)

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TUED: 100 Unions Strong

This month, the TUED Network hit an important milestone. After 10 years of fighting for a public pathway approach to the just energy transition, our global network has the honour of welcoming the 100th participating trade union: the Kenya Electrical Trade and Allied Workers’ Union (KETAWU).
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Last year, KETAWU co-hosted the launch of TUED South in Nairobi, along with its national centre, the Central Organizsation of Trade Unions (COTU-Kenya). KETAWU continues to organize against the privatisation of  KENGEN, the Kenya Electricity Generating Company. 

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Welcome, new TUED unions! 
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Since the launch of TUED South in Nairobi last October, 11 other union bodies from the Global South have also joined the TUED network, in addition to KETAWU. 
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New participating unions include six African national centres representing workers from Benin, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, and Senegal. We’d also like to welcome the recently joined energy unions: the Metallurgical Workers Union of Argentina, the Association of Emcali Union Members of Colombia, the Public Utility Workers Union of Ghana, the Kenya Electrical Trades and Allied Workers’ Union, the Uganda Electricity and Allied Workers Union, and the National Union of Electricity Employees of Nigeria. 

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Are you a union worker interested in building with thousands of workers around the world towards a just energy transition with public energy? We want to connect with you! Please get in touch: www.tuedglobal.org/contact.

Upcoming: TUED South Regional Policy Meeting
 

Between May 16-18, TUED South will be holding its first  regional policy meeting in Johannesburg. Endorsed by host national centres COSATU and SAFTU  and key energy sector unions NUM and NUMSA,  the meeting will further develop public pathway approaches to energy poverty, capacity scarcity (lack of ability to generate enough electricity to meet basic needs) and just energy transition in sub-Saharan Africa.  We will explore the financial, technical and political aspects of these issues.

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Challenges Facing a Just Energy Transition 
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The TUED South Faming Document, which helped guide and inform discussions in Nairobi, suggested that public pathway proposals for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) must convincingly explain how energy poverty and the lack of generation capacity can be addressed in ways that do not incur high levels of debt or further contribute to the climate crisis. This will require a clear understanding of the technical, financial and political challenges that confront the energy transition. 

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The principal content-related goal of the meeting in Johannesburg is to examine the technical, financial, political, and economic development dimensions of the challenges posed by energy poverty and energy provision; to advance our thinking and understanding as to what can be done to generate the capacity needed to address the challenge of energy poverty while creating jobs, building skills, and advancing social and economic justice. 

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Building TUED South in the Asia-Pacific Region
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Looking further ahead, the insights from the regional policy meeting in Johannesburg will build towards and contribute to the development of the program content for a TUED South regional meeting proposed for the Asia Pacific in November 2023. 

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In the interim, the conclusions and insights of the  regional policy meeting in Johannesburg  will be presented to the TUED network via an online Global Forum in mid-2023. 

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