Worker welfare project on renewable energy sites

In response, the Worker Welfare Project was launched to address issues such as inadequate wages, lack of social dialogue, poor work-life balance, health and safety concerns, discrimination, risks of forced labour, and substandard living conditions faced by these workers.

Beyond moral obligations, enhancing worker welfare in the renewable energy sector is driven by evolving EU regulations, reputational benefits, operational efficiencies, and risk management considerations. Ensuring fair treatment and safe working conditions not only aligns with international human rights standards but also protects companies from legal, social, and operational risks while supporting a just and sustainable energy transition.

About the project

Many of the challenges outlined above are relevant to the entire renewable energy sector, making collaboration particularly appropriate. Against this backdrop, several participants of the IRBC Agreement, including Vattenfall, Sunrock, SSE Renewables, trade union FNV and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, joined forces to develop a collective project on worker welfare. The goal of this project is to have a better understanding of the risks of adverse working conditions associated with posted and migrant workers in renewable energy project sites in the Netherlands and Europe. Within this project, an online engagement session was held in November 2024, hosted jointly by the IRBC Agreement and the German Energy Sector Dialogue. During this session companies and trade unions, civil society organisations, national authorities and international organisations engaged in dialogue on the salient risks for workers in renewable energy sites and potential ways to address them.

Project partners Vattenfall and SSE Renewables also developed a toolbox to help companies identify, address and remedy adverse worker welfare conditions on renewable energy sites.

About the toolbox

The Worker Welfare Toolbox is designed to equip companies with necessary knowledge to identify, address and remedy adverse worker welfare conditions in renewable energy sites. The toolbox tends to align with relevant legislation, such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Posting of Workers Directive. It consists of the following tools:

• Principles for worker welfare on renewable energy sites:

  this contains a code of conduct for suppliers on worker welfare.

• Compilation of collective labour agreements:

  this refers to the conditions on wages, working hours, and leave in the collective agreement(s) relevant for the works or services. This compilation assists in determining which agreement is relevant.

• Training for internal staff on worker welfare:

  this training is intended to raise the internal staff’s awareness of issues regarding worker welfare, including red flags, and train them in the use of the Worker Welfare Toolbox.

• Complaints procedure template:

  this is a template (in line with the UNGP’s eight effectiveness criteria) providing an instruction on how to handle the complaints received through the notification mechanism, including roles and responsibilities. The annex to the template contains default messages for communications with complainants.

• Notification mechanism template:

  this template (in line with the UNGP’s eight effectiveness criteria) is designed to be inserted in a digital platform so as to ensure anonymity and confidentiality.

• Training for internal staff on grievances and remediation:

  this training is intended to raise the internal staff’s awareness of dealing with grievances and remediation (including the UN’s eight effectiveness criteria) to ensure proper implementation of the complaints procedure and the notification mechanism.

• Pre-qualification questions:

  this tool aims to assess whether a contractor has adequate worker welfare practices in place, covering all principles. The evaluation leads to a pass or fail result, which determines if the contractor can be included in a tender.

• Award criteria:

  this tool helps to differentiate between contractors who have passed the pre-qualification. It focusses on the risks of forced labour, especially for migrant workers.

• Pricing plausibility checklist:

  this tool is designed to help ensure that the pricing of works and services is plausible, transparent, and sufficient to ensure worker welfare (working time, adequate wages, health and safety, adequate housing, water and sanitation etc).

• Employer’s requirement:

  this tool outlines and defines contract requirements, including the Worker Welfare Principles, training on worker welfare, working conditions in line with collective agreements, verification of workers’ legal status and registration, workers’ access to worker welfare information, employer’s monitoring, prevention.

• Risk assessment, including action plan and remediation plan:

  this template can be used to assess the risks and develop appropriate measures at a project or sector level.

• Contractor mapping template:

  this template is designed to assist companies to map contracts and labour providers on renewable energy sites in order to identify general areas where adverse impacts are most likely to occur and expected to be most severe.

• Training for contractors and labour providers on worker welfare:

  this training intends to raise the awareness of contractors and labour providers regarding worker welfare, including how to spot the signs of abuse.

• Microlearning for workers on worker welfare:

  this training for workers is intended to raise their awareness of their rights, and to provide information about national helplines and notification mechanisms.

• Leaflet and poster for workers:

  this leaflet and poster are meant to be used to raise workers’ awareness of their rights and provide information about national helplines and notification mechanisms.

• Worker voice survey:

  this template can be inserted in a digital tool enabling workers to provide anonymous feedback on their working conditions, e.g. prior to an audit.

• Pre-audit document request:

  this template can be used for requesting documents such as contracts, wage slips and time reports prior to an audit.

• Inspection and audit checklist:

  this template can be used during audits and includes questions for managers and workers, red flags and guidance, as well as corrective action plan.

• Engagement on (severe) adverse impacts:

  companies can use this tool to engage with contractors and labour providers once a (severe) adverse impact has been identified.

Is your organisation interested in the worker welfare project or the worker welfare toolbox? Please reach out to the secretariat of the IRBC Agreement at REAsecretariat@ser.nl to learn more.