The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union was represented by president Tony Maher and general secretary Andrew Vickers attended a global meeting of coal mining unions in Germany to adopt a declaration with a strong set of demands addressing the issues and concerns discussed at the conference.

The conference agreed that although coal is by far the biggest contributor to the global CO2 gas emissions, it is not a reason to single out coal.

There are other multiple contributors to CO2 gas emissions, which are not targeted in the same way as coal. Closing down coalmines could be a “quick fix solution”, however more structural approach needs to be secured with the view to jobs and lives of workers at stake.

The conference, organised by global union IndustriALL, confronted the impacts of climate change, the market downturn and precarious work on union members.

On climate change, it was stated that the closing of mines would not resolve the problem, but will inevitably create a number of others.

“A structural approach needs to be secured with the view to the jobs and lives of workers affected,” it said.

Vickers, who is chairman of the mining sector of IndustriALL Global Union, said: “This conference has permitted us not just to identify problems and issues, but also to develop cohesive, workable, sensible and where appropriate, country specific policies, programs and strategies to confront those that are being developed and implemented by bosses and their lawyers to curtail any effective response from us.”