Comprising motions numbers 17 and 18
Congress acknowledges that the climate emergency will affect all jobs and all workers adversely. This is a key trade union issue for us all.
The working class, locally and globally, are already being impacted by the consequences of climate change with it affecting the supply and cost of food, water and energy, harming people’s health and putting unacceptable additional strain on public services.
Conference notes that:
i. the international Energy Agency (IEA) states that to stay below the Paris Climate Agreement of 1.5˚C, we must reduce fossil fuel use by 25 per cent this decade
ii. the working class in the UK and globally are already being impacted by the consequences of climate change
iii. we need a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown
iv. failing to take urgent measures puts jobs at risk from sudden climate events and their economic consequences
Congress calls on the General Council to campaign for:
a. negotiated transition plans that guarantee protection for all workers in all sectors of the economy including equality strands to cover jobs, wages, pensions, training and skills, and trade union rights
b. statutory just transition commissions for each nation to advise and direct on transition plans that will protect workers
c. public ownership of key sectors such as energy, water, transport, mail, broadband, education, health, and social care
d. a national climate service to plan, coordinate and fund education and training for the workforce and a wide scale transformation to a decarbonised economy
e. unions to co-operate in negotiating industrial strategies for decarbonisation, including the building of combines within and across sectors, at the level of branches as well as nationally and globally, and engagement with community groups
f. mandatory environmental impact assessments on all proposals and decisions
g. a year of green trade union activity including engagement with community and climate justice groups
Moved: Unison
Seconded: PCS