Unrealistic promises of employment give false hope to the inhabitants of the mining regions in South-East Europe and unnecessarily delay the inevitable transition of the energy sector to renewable energy sources. The work of most of these thermal power plants and mines is already economically unprofitable, and continued subsidization of this sector is not a viable option. For this reason and according to the latest CEE Bankwatch Network report , which was also attended by representatives of non-governmental organizations from Southeastern Europe, it is necessary to urgently make and implement a plan for reorienting the economy of these local communities
“Unlike most of the mines and thermal power plants in the region, the number of workers in the Gacko thermal power plant is on the rise. Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske came out with the explanation that this move is an attempt to resolve unemployment in Republika Srpska, instead of claiming the necessity of such jobs. Obviously, new jobs are politically motivated, because there is no reasonable justification for the same” said Duška Kudra from the Center for Environment.
“Governments in the region claim that the coal industry is sustainable and these statements are deceiving for the citizens. The fossil industry is dying and promises for opening new jobs are keeping workers and local communities trapped in unrealistic promises, “says Iona Ciuta, co-author of the study and energy sector coordinator at Bankwatch, adding,” At the same time, the number of jobs in the renewable energy sector in The European Union has reached a figure of 1.5 million and is still growing. It is precisely these alternatives for new jobs that governments should offer their citizens. “
“The stories about the construction of new thermal power plants are a distraction from the real situation because the mines will have to drastically reduce the number of employees. Unfortunately, in the past two decades, no one in BiH has been brave enough to tackle this problem and launch socially responsible processes that would reduce the number of employees in the mines rationally, “said Denis Žiško from the Center for Ecology and Energy.
According to the report, all the governments of the countries of Southeastern Europe, and the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, must stop exaggerating the possibilities for employment in the coal sector and start to consider other ways to stimulate employment, especially in the renewable energy sector. The disastrous fact is that the responsible people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not working on preparing a realistic energy sector transformation plan and are stubbornly refusing to follow the examples of EU countries.
A translated study is available at the following link:
https://bankwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Jobs-study-BIH-CEE-Bankwatch-Network.pdf