What happened
İklim Ağı, a network of 17 climate-focused civil society organisations, has criticised the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s draft National Just Transition Strategy and Action Plan. According to the network, the proposal identifies risks from changes in coal-fired electricity generation but does not provide measures that would protect coal workers or communities whose local economies depend on the sector.
The network said the draft labels coal as a strategic mineral, while leaving unclear how coal regions would move into other economic activity. It called for the document to be revised to include a timetable for leaving coal, area-specific transition plans and measures to protect the rights, employment and incomes of workers and affected communities.
It also said the plan should specify which new jobs would be created in each coal region, how workers would retain income and employment security, and how local economies would be strengthened.
Why it matters
The critique puts employment and regional development at the centre of Türkiye’s planned energy transition. İklim Ağı said workers and residents in coal-dependent areas could bear the effects of sectoral contraction unless planning, social protection and reskilling are backed by concrete action.
The group highlighted gender issues in the draft. While it includes a separate section on women’s employment and identifies care services as supporting social infrastructure, the network said this does not fully address the impact of transition on households. Of the plan’s 109 actions, eight mention women or girls, it said, and none is tailored to coal regions.
For employers, local authorities and worker representatives in coal areas, the requested changes would mean greater attention to regional job creation, care services and participation in decisions affecting local economies.
Background
İklim Ağı said preparation of the strategy has continued since 2022 and argued that climate civil society organisations were not adequately included. It cited job losses, production reductions, closures, unpaid wages and low pay affecting coal miners and coal-fired power plant workers in several locations, including Eskişehir, Ankara, Afşin-Elbistan, Soma, Yatağan and Çayırhan.
What's next
According to İklim Ağı, the ministry intends to present the draft at COP31, where implementation approaches for just-transition mechanisms are expected to be discussed. The network is calling for unions, civil society groups, women’s organisations, local governments, professional bodies and residents of affected regions to have an effective role in the plan’s preparation and delivery.
