Facing Climate Shocks, Workers Demand Fair and Sustainable Solutions

Climate change is hitting Ethiopia’s coffee sector and workers hard. This is why coffee workers from Jimma demand a Just Transition. Workers from the coffee sector discussed the impacts of climate change on their work, working conditions and livelihoods and explored the role of social dialogue in driving a Just Transition.

Participants reported increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, including heavy rains, flooding, and unseasonal rainfall, which have interrupted coffee production, damaged crops, delayed harvesting, and caused physical harm to workers. Workers were even struck by lightning while on duty. Participants also mentioned that climate shocks increase workloads, and office workers are required to assist with labour-intensive field tasks like coffee and wood collection when emergencies occur. These environmental shifts not only threaten the safety and health of workers but also reduce their income and job security.

Beyond environmental challenges, participants highlighted that women workers in the coffee sector are exposed to sexual harassment and attacks by robbers while collecting beans in coffee forests, and companies also avoid hiring women, citing the physical demands of the job, particularly during extreme weather conditions. Even when women are employed, they are not promoted into leadership roles.

Despite these challenges, workers shared positive experiences of using social dialogue to resolve salary disputes and secure maternity leave in a recent workshop of FES in Jimma. Workers call for urgent climate adaptation and mitigation measures and promote inclusive, fair, and sustainable practices within Ethiopia’s coffee sector.