Welcome to the first release in our series Discover DUST, where we spotlight each of the partners in the project and share their roles and interests in Democratising Just Sustainability Transitions! First, we introduce one of our Polish partners: Porozumienia Związków Zawodowych "KADRA".
PZZ "KADRA" is a trade union representing Polish employees of many industrial sectors. Operating in the Katowice reigion in Poland, KADRA seeks to protect employees in mining and industrial sectors, elevating their voices in social dialogue. KADRA's main activities focus on providing employees with social and material protection, conducting collective negotiations of employment agreements and agreements to improve the working conditions of employees, and representing employees in regional dialogues. KADRA is an active organization representing the interests of employees in regions of the country where employees are affected by structural changes and energy transition processes.
In DUST, KADRA's main role is to connect the project to communities in Katowice affected by sustainability transitions. First, their knowledge is drawn on to explore social constructs in Katowice and understand who the least-engaged communities in the region are. Then, KADRA helps to build thoughtful connections with communities, based on trust and shared interest. Working together we seek to ensure that diverse voices are heard in the decision-making process at the national, sectoral, regional and local levels.
Through the DUST project, KADRA hopes to gain more knowledge on the process of improving participation in large scale changes, such as energy transitions. Balancing the need for proper working conditions for employees, the drive of communities in Katowice and the realities of energy transitions is not a simple task, but an important one to make sure changes work for all. The energy transition, the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, inflation and the energy crisis have only added to the scale and pace of change occurring in Katowice. KADRA's wish is for the just transition to be a process involving employees, trade unions, and communities.
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