The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Africa and Middle East, in collaboration with Union-to-Union (UtoU) and the Swedish Building Workers’ Union (Byggnads/SBTF), convened a three-day workshop from 27 to 29 August 2026 in Accra, Ghana. The workshop was attended by 24 union representatives, including 12 women.

The joint initiative focused on equipping union leaders and climate focal persons with actionable strategies to address climate threats across the building and construction sectors. To open the proceedings, the BWI-affiliated PUWU emphasised the vital role of practical workplace adaptation.

Immediately after, Paola Cammilli, BWI Global Campaigns Coordinator, introduced BWI’s international campaign, “Heat Up Workers’ Rights, Not the Planet.” She urged trade unions to elevate extreme heat as a core Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) issue and shared critical insights into climate change, its impact on workers in BWI sectors, and initiatives that workers and unions can undertake to mitigate the effects of extreme weather.

University of Ghana expert Kofi Ferni Anyan led technical sessions analysing climate trends and their impact on worker productivity. The discussions prompted concrete proposals from participants, including mandatory access to potable water, shade breaks, site weather alerts, grassroots heat-hazard education, and fair Just Transition frameworks that prioritise retraining over redundancies.

The workshop culminated in the adoption of a framework document designed to guide TUC leaders and General Secretaries in embedding enforceable climate change and Just Transition clauses directly into future Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).