Reshaping the future of employment in view of the energy transition.

“The idea of the cooperative comes from what we have been developing with the Workers' Collective for Just Transition and CNV Internationaal," explains  Workers' Collective member Robert Correa, “CNV Internationaal, along with its national coordinator, Ana Catalina Herrera, has played a fundamental role in this process. Additionally, CNV Internationaal has supported the training for the Just Energy Transition diploma of former and current coal sector workers."  

On March 12, at the University of Magdalena, Coomustier has been officially presented to the community. This event, with the participation of key allies in the transition process, including educational institutions, governmental entities, and international organizations. It has been an opportunity to celebrate, but also to discuss the cooperative's future and plans. 

With the launch of Coomustier, the coal sector in Colombia takes a step forward towards a just transition, demonstrating that, with education, collaboration, and determination, it is possible to reinvent industries and communities for a sustainable and equitable future. 

In the heart of Santa Marta and Ciénaga in the Northern coal mine region of Colombia, a group of coal sector workers and cooperative members, led among others by Robert Correa, vice president of trade union Sintramienergética, and Robinson Moreno, executive of Sintracarbón, is reshaping the future of employment of the northern region of Colombia.  

The Colombian Miner-Energy Transition Diploma, supported by organizations like CNV Internationaal and led by the University of Magdalena, has become an essential tool for the initiatives   

According to the cooperative's director, Robinson Moreno, the diploma training provided the necessary technical, legal, social, and geographical skils for the cooperative’s launch.  

The cooperative aims to offer a variety of labor services and supports those affected by the coal industries’ decline, including workers, women, indigenous people, and social leaders. 

"With the knowledge acquired during the 6-month, 180-hour diploma, we now better understand the consequences of the problems of the coal industry. That’s why the initiative of a cooperative arises. It responds to our social problems because many workers have already lost their jobs."

The Coomustier cooperative aims to be multi-active and aims to provide diversified labor services to companies. We detected people with diverse skills, including train engineers, anthropologists, miners, different technicians, and technologists..  

At the launch, the cooperative, composed not only of coal sector workers but also women, indigenous people, and social leaders, has been presented, representing the construction of what emerged in the Colombian Caribbean Miner-Energy Transition diploma. “We feel very proud of what we have achieved." 

Coomustier, more than a cooperative, is a symbol of adaptation, resilience, and convergence of communities affected by an enclave economy like coal. By leveraging the diverse skills of its members, from engineers to miners and anthropologists, the cooperative can offer a multitude of services, demonstrating to the government and the private sector the feasibility of a versatile workforce prepared for the future. 

In the words of Workers' Collective member Robert Correa, CNV Internationaal, along with its national coordinator, Ana Catalina Herrera, has played a fundamental role in the workers' training process. 

"The idea of the cooperative comes from what we have been developing with the Workers' Collective for Just Transition and CNV Internationaal. Additionally, CNV Internationaal has supported the training in the Just Energy Transition diploma of former and current coal sector workers by granting a series of scholarships exclusively for this population during the promotions."