The head of the international trade union movement has warned Australian unionists against putting coal jobs ahead of environmental concerns, as the CFMMEU pushes Adani for a commitment to long-term jobs at its controversial Queensland mine.

"There are no jobs on a dead planet," the International Trade Union Confederation's general secretary, Sharan Burrow, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Sharan Burrow says political leaders need to give working people confidence in a 'just transition' away from coal. Credit:Wayne Taylor

"Our motto is you can't deny that climate change is real - I'm shocked to see that some of our people in Australian parliament still do," she said.

"For an educated country, if you don't read the science - then, goodness gracious, really."