Search

date: 18 June 2009

embargo: For immediate release

Employers must plan ahead for hotter summers

Commenting on the Government's UK Climate Projections data published today (Thursday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'Today's predictions of much hotter summers for the UK in years to come make it crucial that governments of the world strike a deal and prevent further damaging climate change when they meet in Copenhagen at the end of the year.

'The projections also show some damage to the world's climate has already been done and so we have to adapt now. Rising temperatures, the risk of floods, disruption to travel plans - all of these changes will impact on the workplace. There is much that employers could be doing now to plan for how changes in the UK's climate could alter the lives of their employees and the way they work.

'A recent report from the TUC suggests that employers who are serious about the challenge posed by climate change and consider the welfare of their staff as they adapt will be the ones who reap the benefits with a more motivated, highly skilled and well-equipped workforce.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- In April, the TUC published Changing Work in a Changing Climate which warned that although damage done to the environment by past and present carbon emissions was forcing companies to think about adapting their products and services to a changing climate, few had considered what such a dramatic change in the UK's weather would mean for their staff and the jobs they do http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-16338-f0.cfm

Contacts:

Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Brenchley T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: ebrenchley@tuc.org.uk

Press release (300 words) issued 18 Jun 2009