Received from: PCS
Conference affirms that climate change is a class and trade union issue.
Conference notes that the:
i. 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 and not develop any new fossil fuel sites
ii. the working class in the UK and globally are already being impacted by the consequences of climate change
Conference believes:
a. we need a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown
b. failing to take urgent measures puts jobs at risk from sudden climate events and their economic consequences
c. we must resist attempts aimed at using climate to divide working people.
Conference instructs the TUC to fight for:
1. 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
2. the building of combines within and across sectors, at the level of branches as well as nationally and globally, to develop common industrial strategies that contribute to a ‘whole economy’ approach to decarbonisation, including engagement with, and community and climate justice groups
3. public ownership of key sectors such as energy, water, transport, mail, broadband, education, health, and social care
4. a national climate service to plan, coordinate and fund education and training for the workforce and a wide scale transformation to a decarbonised economy and engagement with community and climate justice groups.
Public and Commercial Services Union
AMENDMENT
Insert bullet points after bullet point ii.:
“iii. the UK is decarbonising faster than any other G20 country since 2000
iv. energy sectors like gas employ many thousands in well paid unionised jobs”
In bullet point a. after “we need”, insert “a worker-led, just”; delete “rapid” after “transition”; insert “to a more diverse energy mix”; and delete “away from fossil fuels”
In bullet point b. after “failing to take urgent”, insert “well-planned”
In bullet point 2. after “the building of combines within and across”, insert “affected”; after “including engagement with” insert “groups aligned with trade union aims”; and delete “and community and climate justice groups”
In bullet point 4. after “a national climate service,”, insert “working with unions affected”; delete and replace “decarbonised” with “net zero”; and delete “and engagement with community and climate justice groups”
GMB