The Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) hosted the first webinar of its 2025 series, “Decent Work in the Critical Minerals Supply Chain” on 7 May, bringing together trade union representatives, OECD officials, and the Canadian G7 presidency to address urgent labour challenges in this pivotal sector.
Critical minerals have become increasingly essential for the green and digital transitions, with rapidly growing demand creating new risks for workers. The International Energy Agency forecasts that demand for these resources could increase by six times by 2040, with lithium, graphite, cobalt, and nickel potentially increasing 24-50 times. This explosive growth has already led to documented cases of human and labour rights abuses, including forced and child labour, unsafe conditions, and harassment of mine workers.
To secure resilient critical mineral supply chains, respect for workers' rights is non-negotiable. Without guaranteeing freedom of association, collective bargaining, living wages and safe working conditions, supply chains cannot be truly responsible or resilient.
The webinar was moderated by Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, and featured Barbara Bijelic, Head of Regulation at the OECD RBC Centre, and Jeffrey Biggs, Senior Director for International Affairs and Trade at Natural Resources Canada, representing the G7 Canadian presidency.
Trade union representatives from mineral-producing regions offered first-hand insights into labour conditions. Participants from IndustriALL Global Union, the Central Union Workers of Chile (CUT-Chile), and the Autonomous Workers’ Confederation of Peru (CATP) highlighted how workers in the mining sector face exploitation, unsafe conditions, and anti-union practices despite the growing importance of these resources.
The discussion underscored how alarming the current situation in extractive industries is. As demand for these resources skyrockets, there is an urgent need to establish decent work standards before supply chains expand further and entrench poor labour practices.
A key focus of the webinar was examining existing international frameworks and their effectiveness in protecting workers. Participants considered how the promotion of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas could be strengthened. The discussion also noted the importance of due diligence legislation, ILO standards, and robust reporting mechanisms in ensuring responsible supply chains.
The webinar was particularly timely as the G7 Canadian presidency has announced its intention to develop a Global Critical Minerals Action Plan. The G7’s existing Five-Point Plan for Critical Minerals Security, adopted under the Japanese Presidency in 2023, was noted during discussions as lacking explicit references to labour rights and collective bargaining.
Building on the insights from this dialogue, TUAC will develop a Labour 7 statement on workers’ rights in critical minerals supply chains, to be submitted to G7 countries ahead of the Leaders’ Summit in June. Additionally, the discussions will inform TUAC’s contribution to the OECD’s new Framework on Responsible Business Conduct for a Just Transition.
Photo credit: Marcel Crozet / ILO
