GreenWorkplaces News June 2014
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OrganisingGreen reps conference – “Greening the workplace: building the union effect”Date: Friday 11 July 2014, This is a free event with a buffet lunch provided. The TUC has invited Labour’s Shadow energy Minister Tom Greatrex MP to open this national conference. The event focuses on the achievements of trade union reps in building sustainable workplaces, and the rights and responsibilities they need to be even more effective. We will launch a new report on The Union Effect by the Labour Research Department’s (LRD), a fresh look at how unions are greening the workplace. And we introduce UCU’s new Environment Reps Handbook Staff Organising for Sustainability SOS. Aimed at shop stewards and activists interested in creating sustainable workplaces, the conference will open with a debate on rights and responsibilities of TU reps. We then run two workshops: best practice union projects across the UK; and advice on building green networks in trade unions and in the regions. Speakers include:
Our chair is Sue Ferns, Director of Research & Communications at Prospect and General Council lead on the environment. To register online, go to: www.greeningtheworkplace.eventbrite.co.uk Stockport UNISON secures agreement on climate change and the environmentby Sarah Pearce, UNISON Stockport Council has become the latest local authority to sign up to a union agreement on the environment and climate change. The Joint Environment and Climate Change Agreement (JECCA) between the council and Stockport UNISON supports existing efforts, on the part of both management and union, to respond to climate change and reduce carbon emissions. The JECCA asks that managers agree resource time for union green reps to carry out their role and to attend meetings with management on environmental issues. The statement, signed shortly before the recent local elections, follows a request from the UNISON branch back in October for a joint agreement with facility time for UNISON reps. In its letter to the council leader and chief executive, UNISON’s then branch secretary, Angela Rayner, recognised the council’s track record on environmental issues. In the letter, the branch stated its desire to strengthen Stockport UNISON’s engagement on green issues. The letter points to a heightened interest within UNISON, with the branch appointing an environment officer and environmental reps. Rayner also highlighted a wider recognition in the trade union movement of the “necessity of a ‘just transition’ to a low carbon economy”. The council reports that “the agreement offers the opportunity to strengthen communication and engagement with employees on environment and climate change issues”. It also means that two of Stockport UNISON’s green reps will be able to attend the up-coming green reps conference, “Greening the Workplace – Building the Union Effect”, at the TUC on Friday 11 July. While the agreement states that there is “some ambiguity over government policy to reduce reliance on carbon-based energy resources and to promote energy efficiency”, in signing the joint agreement, the council commits itself to “leading by example”. Don Naylor, UNISON branch environment officer at Stockport says: “within the branch, we recognise the full range of contemporary environmental and climate issues, their threats and, yes, how trade unions are well placed to offer some solutions. These are no longer fringe issues; they are beginning to have major impacts globally, often affecting the poorest and most vulnerable”. Don continues: “Of course, not all members or potential members want to go in at the deep end. If you're more comfortable undertaking an office energy audit, that's just as valid as helping promote the One Million Climate Jobs campaign. Having the JECCA in place helps give all of this momentum in the branch, and we're always happy to discuss the connections with other areas of work undertaken by unions”. The agreement itself is largely based on the TUC’s own model agreement which can be found in the green rep’s handbook “Go Green at Work”. The JECCA sets out a joint desire to work together towards “embedding awareness of the climate impacts of everyday actions, recognising that the project lays a foundation for green-collar skills and grows demand for low-carbon goods and services. The partners understand the scale of impacts locally and globally that will result from unmitigated climate change, and will encourage associated discussion and action within the workplace and wider community in order to reduce this.” The agreement also touches on the sensitive area around the “regional and national focus on proposed shale gas fracking” in the north-west. It points out that Stockport UNISON is “actively promoting the hazards and short-termism associated with this source of energy ... in line with wider TUC resolutions”. Stockport now joins both Bristol and Plymouth city councils in having signed up to joint union-management agreements on the environment and climate change, giving union reps time off for their environmental duties. Let’s hope more councils follow suit. Union branches seeking to negotiate similar agreements with managers can find advice and guidance at the GreenWorkplaces’ activist resources. Stockport’s agreement can be downloaded from the council’s website. Prospect’s Scottish library reps get the bugBeing green is not only good for the environment but also good for your health – as Prospect members at the National Library of Scotland have been shown. Prospect rep Tom Proudfoot has put together a bag of cycling goodies - with the hope of getting members to cycle safely and feel better. Tom was supported by a grant from Cycling Scotland and donations from Prospect, Sustrans, the UK cycling charity, Edinburgh City Council and the BikeStation, a cycling campaign organisation. Tom explains how it all started: “Following an email sent round our bike users group (BUG), 40 packs were sent out worth £50 each, and I've managed to link our health at work group with the Sustrans active travel rep. Tom describes what the packs contain: “Everyone should have a bag cover, bike tool, bell, repair kit and hi-vis wrist straps. By the way, anyone who is still wondering why they got a shower cap, it's not, it's a seat cover!”.
The BUG also set up a Dr Bike session, with over a dozen bikes given the once over and advice handed out. Tom adds:”A number of issues have also been raised about storage and parking, along with our travel policy and interest-free loans, so it's all been worthwhile“. PCS pushing the green agendaby Sam Mason, PCS PCS environmental or ‘green’ work was given a prominent space on the agenda of our Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC) in May. With its own section, delegates debated a number of motions, many of which included the need to promote the creation of one million climate jobs as an alternative to the economic and climate crises. The conference promoted the PCS Aviation Review report Protecting jobs: Protecting the planet. The report endorses the principle that safeguarding jobs and the planet are not incompatible objectives. Another motion on the agenda noted that carbon dioxide has increased to such an extent that action is needed to reduce the levels in the atmosphere, not just the rate at which it’s produced. Conference also called for an end to the barbaric practice of badger culling, a colossal waste of money at a time of brutal austerity measures. Concerns about the dash for gas and the pro fracking agenda, along with the hardship caused by fuel poverty due to rising fuel bills, low pay and poor energy efficient homes, were two other issues picked up in many motions. On fracking, delegates supported the call for a moratorium banning fracking until environmental, climate change and health and safety risks have been assessed. On fuel poverty, PCS Revenue and Customs Group Environmental Committee produced a booklet “Fuel Poverty and the Environment”. This booklet explains what it means to be in fuel poverty and lists resources where members can find more information and support. All these themes were also picked up in our well attended green fringe meeting. A panel of speakers addressed why climate change is a trade union issue and how the creation of one million climate jobs is a trade union alternative to both the economic and climate crises. The fringe heard how fracking contributes to climate change and why, with increasing fuel poverty, we need to start an energy debate about a transition from dependency on heavily polluting fossil fuels to sustainable and renewable sources of energy. Delegates also spoke about becoming active in their workplaces on environmental issues and helping to meet the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs) across the government estate. The GCCs seek to reduce workplace greenhouse gas emissions by 25%; domestic flights by 20%; waste generated by 25%; water and paper consumption by 2015. To find out more about PCS’s green work please contact Sam Mason – sam@pcs.org.uk Biodiversity – (literally) going green in ProspectProspect has launched the first in a series of four environmental briefings due for release throughout 2014 covering the issue of biodiversity. The briefing on biodiversity is designed to help reps to:
Beverley Hall, Prospect's Environment and CSR Officer, explains more: “The aim is to help environment reps to engage colleagues in workplace discussions about the environment and sustainability. It promotes our own commitment to environmental and social justice as well as raising the profile of a branch, attracting new members and generally encouraging activism”. The briefing covers how biodiversity affects jobs – Sustainlabour, the International Labour Foundation for Sustainable Development, has found that in the EU over 14.6 million jobs are directly related to biodiversity. It also outlines how biodiversity loss is a critical global environmental threat. Ecosystems face climate change, habitat loss and degradation, excessive nutrient load and pollution, over –exploitation and invasive alien species. There is also a section on the UK's “State of Nature” report, detailing the decline in butterflies, birds, small mammals and plants; and the business case for getting staff engaged in environmental concerns. You can view the briefing at: http://library.prospect.org.uk/id/2014/00630 Natural England members show food waste the binBoc Ly meets two Prospect green reps who are helping to stop the rot The following article is reproduced with the kind permission of Prospect’s Profile magazine. We are often told that a greener lifestyle starts at home, and there is one sustainability issue that starts in our kitchens: food waste. The statistics are staggering: 24m slices of bread, 5.9m potatoes and 5.9m glasses of milk are thrown away every day in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics. Our wasteful food habit costs the average UK family £60 per month and has terrible environmental consequences. Campaign group Love Food Hate Waste says that if we stopped wasting all this food, the benefit would be similar to taking a quarter of all cars off the road. In their different ways, two environment reps at Natural England have been taking positive action to tackle the problem of food waste. “We thought a food waste project would be timely and interesting,” says Rebecca Korda, a lead marine advisor, who was inspired by the FoodCycle Wandsworth project in south London. “It is something that we feel is socially, economically and environmentally important. Tackling food waste, we feel, ticks all the boxes.” FoodCycle partners with supermarkets and greengrocers to take their surplus food and cooks a hot, healthy three-course meal, served free to local people who would otherwise struggle to feed themselves. “They eat as a collective, so it also deals with isolation, food poverty and malnourishment. “The amount that these supermarkets throw away is disgraceful. We want to raise awareness and get people to think about their purchasing habits,” says Rebecca. Supermarket boycottSomeone who agrees about supermarkets is Rebecca’s fellow environment rep, Debbie Gosman, who does natural character area work for Natural England and also develops waste prevention policy for the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs. For over two years, Debbie and her family, who live in rural south Norfolk, have tried their best to boycott major supermarkets. “The big thing for me is behaviour change. What do we need to do to make that step? We can’t rely on companies to do it for us; it’s up to us as individuals,” says Debbie. The boycott started as an attempt to help save the local shop, which was in danger of closing down. Without local shops, they reasoned, choices are severely reduced. It has been a success, bringing unforeseen benefits. Not doing a big grocery shop meant they could cycle to their local shop. Their rubbish has been reduced by having less packaging. “Also, we no longer buy processed food. We used to come home late and often bought ready meals from the supermarket. But we started cooking and it cost us a lot less,” says Debbie. They’ve learnt about food, enjoyed cooking and got to know local shopkeepers and their supply chains. Even Debbie’s teenage daughters have responded well to the challenge. Debbie acknowledges that the major supermarkets are not completely without merit. Her older daughter at university in Scotland relies on online supermarket deliveries because she is disabled, and receives an excellent service. Even so, on the odd occasions when Debbie does find herself in a major supermarket, she feels “desensitised to their allure” and is conscious that they’re laid out and marketed to encourage people to buy as much as possible. “It’s like we have been brainwashed into using the supermarkets and we’ve become immune to the piles of food that are going to waste,” Debbie says. Despite both reps leading by example, the branch is still exploring ideas for how else they can tackle food waste. “People think they can’t do anything on a personal level, or that it’s too difficult, but there’s always an alternative,” declares Debbie. The Union AdvantageThe TUC is set to issue an updated version of ‘The Union Advantage’ over the summer. It will include a chapter on union environmental reps. The section will cover the case for green action at work, the role of union green reps, your rights at work and much much more. Watch this space! PolicyUnions4Climate Action – Unions leaders sign up to actAt the ITUC World Congress in Berlin, more than 50 unions, representing millions of workers world-wide, joined Unions4Climate action. The unions announced their commitment to the fight against climate change by signing a pledge for climate justice. Together with ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow, the new pledge was signed by General Secretary of the TUC, Frances O’Grady, GEFONT President Cde Bishnu Rimal, General Secretary of CCOO Ignacio Fernández Toxo, President of CSC-ACV Marc Leemans, General Secretary of CUT Peru Julio Cesa Bazan Figueroa, and President of the South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union Louise Thipe. The pledge signals the start of a global mobilisation for a climate deal ahead of the Paris Summit in 2015 with unions throwing their weight behind calls for an ambitious treaty. Unions are calling for temperature increases to be limited to 2˚C and delivery of an industrial transformation and just transition towards a green economy. No jobs on a dead planetBurrow, urged unions to mobilise and demanded industrial transformation with funding for a just transition for vulnerable nations and communities: “Threats to jobs and livelihoods include the threat of climate change. For unions it is simple. There are no jobs on a dead planet”. The global agreement must ensure access to training in breakthrough technologies, steer industrial transformation for all sectors and industries, and guarantee a just transition for the world’s people. “We watched governments fail the planet and their people in Copenhagen and the same corporate interests want to see failure in Paris. The mission of the trade union movement to ensure jobs, rights and social equality requires that we embrace the cause of a just transition towards sustainable development – a transition that must start now,” said Burrow. Creating climate jobsCurrent ITUC research shows that 48 million new jobs could be created in just 12 countries. In Germany, up to 400,000 new renewable energy jobs have been created in just two years. The focus of the latest round of UN negotiations has to be on mobilising investment in clean technologies. "We have played our role in UN negotiations and fought and won commitments to 'Just Transition'," the pledge reads. "Now we want to see the transition happen on the ground, including through investment in new green jobs, skills, income protection and other necessary measures implemented everywhere, with funding for the poorest and most vulnerable of nations." The new campaign will demand that governments strengthen their climate policies. In addition, Unions4Climate action will facilitate the development of a coherent global strategy for delivering an industrial revolution and boosting employment. You can show your support and join the movement for climate action: http://act.equaltimes.org/unions4climate UNISON demands an energy review of homes that will reduce dependence on shale gasUNISON has launched its own solution to the energy crisis. The report, ‘Warm homes into the future’ follows hot on the heels of the Government’s own decision to press ahead with legislation allowing fracking companies to run shale gas lines through private property without permission. Mathew Lay, UNISON's energy national officer, explains that the new report “sets out UNISON’s approach to domestic energy efficiency – including eradicating fuel poverty, reducing the reliance on imported gas and investing in jobs”. In the report, UNISON calls for a national door-to-door assessment programme to ensure that every UK home complies with the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) at Band C. Low income households would receive remedial works free, capped at £10,000, while other households would be able to access an interest-free loan, repayable over 10 years. Eradicating fuel povertyThe report states that the programme could lead to the near eradication of fuel poverty in the UK. For those living in a home with a low standard of fuel efficiency, they could be wasting £650 every year. By installing energy efficiency measures, they could save 41% of their average gas costs every year. Reducing demand for imported gas and frackingThe report also outlines how a national and universal energy efficiency programme could save as much as 19% of the gas we now import by 2027. This would displace the need for a huge expansion of fracking to secure shale gas. By 2027, gas use avoided would prevent the need for up to 470 wells, if they are the same size as typical US wells. Environmental gainsThe UK has legally binding targets for reducing carbon emissions by 34% (1990 baseline) by 2020, 60% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 - we are struggling to meet these. Modelling by Cambridge Econometrics suggests that by 2027, tackling both fuel poor households and those able to pay could reduce emissions by 27%. Wider economic benefitsThere are also considerable economic benefits. Rolling out a major new energy efficiency programme will stimulate the wider economy and create jobs. If only those homes currently in or at risk of fuel poverty, some 9.1 million homes, were addressed, the research suggests that 129,400 jobs would be created by 2027. Delivering the schemeCurrently, the government relies on the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Green Deal as its policy tools to improve energy efficiency. As UNISON points out: “Neither approach has been considered hugely successful despite a pot of £1billion being made available”. UNISON estimates the cost of its review at £68.5 billion for the UK or £4.5 billion per annum over a 15 year period. The union argues that the project “should be treated as a national infrastructure project and given the same financial profile as projects such as High Speed Rail 2”. The report concludes that “when the budget is set against the costs of new generating capacity, the sources of revenue already available and the potential for fiscal gains, it is eminently affordable. All it takes is the right political will”. Shale: has the Queen Misspoken?by Philip Pearson, TUC Fracking will be one of the first three Bills to go before Parliament.The TUC would have preferred the government’s infrastructure bill to fast track investment in carbon capture and storage technology, rather than accelerating a dash for onshore gas through fracking. Job for job, the case for CCS seems to be far more compelling, as our study with the CCSA shows:
But, as an FoE briefing argues, the government has smoothed the path for the unconventional gas and oil industry. In the process, it is undermining public participation in energy decision-making through:
The UK’s most high profile shale gas developer, Cuadrilla Resources, announced this week that it will submit planning applications for exploratory wells at its site in Lancashire. This raises the prospect of a summer of protests against the controversial development. The question is: “Should the Government legislate to provide underground access to gas, oil and geothermal developers below 300 metres?” Respond to the DECC consultation by 15 August 2014. Energy consumers lose in public-to-private monopolyby Philip Pearson, TUC Since it was privatised in 1999, the UK energy market seems to have shifted seamlessly from a public to a private monopoly. According to Ofgem, the Big Six now “establish a coordinated course of action without communicating directly. This situation is referred to as tacit coordination between suppliers”. Ofgem is so concerned about its state of the market report that it’s asked the Big Six to explain themselves to consumers. Before 1999, British Gas and fourteen public electricity suppliers had a monopoly to supply all domestic gas and electricity. Now, the Big Six serve 95% of the market and run 70% of generating capacity. Last year, their combined earnings before interest and tax increased from £3bn in 2009 to £3.7bn in 2012. Once upon a time, any surplus generated by the public utilities was returned to the Treasury. But, as journalist James Meek argues, what has happened since privatisation “is not what they promised or intended when they put Britain’s state-owned electricity industry on the block.” Only the Daily Telegraph online appears to have made good use of Ofgem’s state of the market report. Here are some key points:
For the TUC, Frances O’Grady said: “The government should be standing up for consumers in the face of this naked greed. Instead, the Chancellor has shied away from taking on the energy giants and handed them tax giveaways by cutting vital green levies. We need a competition commission enquiry into the energy market to get to the bottom of why energy companies can rip-off customers so easily. Another series of stern letters from Ofgem is simply not good enough.” According to new government figures released on 12 June, the number of people in fuel poverty in England is likely to reach 2.33 million in 2014. EventsGreen reps conference – “Greening the workplace: building the union effect”Date: Friday 11 July 2014, To register online, go to: www.greeningtheworkplace.eventbrite.co.uk Environment round table for Prospect repsProspect environment reps are invited to share ideas on how to develop their work at a round table evening in London on Thursday 10 July. The discussion will cover:
The event will start at 5p.m. For more information, Prospect reps should contact beverley.hall@prospect.org.uk or call 020 7902 6633 Organising Green reps conference – “Greening the workplace: building the union effect”Date: Friday 11 July 2014, This is a free event with a buffet lunch provided. The TUC has invited Labour’s Shadow energy Minister Tom Greatrex MP to open this national conference. The event focuses on the achievements of trade union reps in building sustainable workplaces, and the rights and responsibilities they need to be even more effective. We will launch a new report on The Union Effect by the Labour Research Department’s (LRD), a fresh look at how unions are greening the workplace. And we introduce UCU’s new Environment Reps Handbook Staff Organising for Sustainability SOS. Aimed at shop stewards and activists interested in creating sustainable workplaces, the conference will open with a debate on rights and responsibilities of TU reps. We then run two workshops: best practice union projects across the UK; and advice on building green networks in trade unions and in the regions. Speakers include:
Our chair is Sue Ferns, Director of Research & Communications at Prospect and General Council lead on the environment. To register online, go to: www.greeningtheworkplace.eventbrite.co.uk |
The person responsible for the e-bulletin is:
Sarah Pearce
Tel 020 7467 1230
Email spearce@tuc.org.uk
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