[2022] C06 Defending jobs and a just transition

carried motion
Carried motion

Received from: ,

Motions 17 and amends and 18 and amendment

Congress supports a move to net zero that offers a fair deal for workers and a fair future for a United Kingdom that is free from carbon emissions. Congress recognises that the decarbonisation agenda will have a massive impact on jobs and notes the just transition guidelines as established in 2015 by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The UK government is promising up to 480,000 skilled green jobs by 2030 and Congress welcomes the TUC’s involvement in the green jobs delivery group. However, there is not nearly enough detail about what those jobs are.

Congress is also concerned that some companies are using the transition into green industries to discard national agreements and remove collective bargaining.

Congress calls for a workers’ just transition, where green jobs are secure, sustainable, good jobs delivered through collective bargaining and where those workers and communities whose industries are threatened by the changes to develop a low-carbon world have jobs protected, through decarbonisation of existing industries in consultation with workers in those industries and their skills fully utilised in the sustainable industries of the future.

Congress believes that:

i. A just transition must involve adequate state intervention, investment and support to protect jobs, incomes, skills and communities.

ii. The steel industry in particular is a sustainable industry which must decarbonise and is critical to our green future. Jobs in the industry must be supported throughout the transition.

iii. Transport has significant responsibility and capability in transitioning towards a carbon free future. A just transition in transportation requires ambitious objectives from government to support the upskilling and reskilling of workers, as well as sustainable employment opportunities that supports the transport sector transitioning to a zero-carbon future.

iv. Now is the time to invest in green transport infrastructure in order to cut carbon emissions, support both communities and transport workers and rebuild our economy.

Congress calls on the General Council to ensure that any just transition strategy endorsed by the trade union movement must clearly set out:

a. realistic estimates for the numbers of new green jobs, the definition of a green job, the quality of those jobs and their likely locations and timeline

b. the skills, education and training required for those jobs and how that will be delivered

c. guarantees for health and safety practices of the highest standards, with trade unions playing a key role

d. measures to prevent any negative impact on trade unions in terms of existing agreements and organised workplaces.

Congress calls on unions to focus resources on planning for a just transition that benefits quality employment and training opportunities, and on the TUC to prioritise the carbon intensive transport sector in realising its journey to sustainability.

Mover: Unite
Seconder: Nautilus International
Supporters: GMB; Community; ASLEF