The president of the conference, Alok Sharma, said it was an “historic agreement which kept the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels in reach.”
But one year on, what is the reality?
The Welsh Government has challenged public bodies to reach ‘net zero’ by 2030. By that point they should be producing fewer emissions from polluting greenhouse gases than they are absorbing. And, in Wales TUC’s view, they should be meeting these targets without placing extra costs – financial or otherwise – on workers.
We’ve taken a look at every local council’s plans for getting to net zero. Some are better than others, especially in terms of protecting workers and their families as we decarbonise. The plans make interesting reading and contain exciting plans. For example, switching to electric vehicles forms a major part of most such proposals. But only a few councils referred to the importance of consulting with workers and providing guaranteed training so that workers can move to new green jobs.
That is why Wales TUC is working with trade unions to call on local councils and all employers in Wales to establish ‘transition agreements’.
These transition agreements should have key elements relating to decarbonisation and the workforce, including:
Both globally and locally, one of the greatest impacts on the net zero agenda has been Russia’s war in Ukraine which has led to global inflation. This has led to a world-wide cost of living crisis, which has been made worse in Wales due to the impact of Brexit, the UK government’s austerity policies and a decade of declining wages, impacting both the public and private sector.
When I hear from workers about the challenges of tackling global warming I am constantly reminded about the rising cost of living, with everything going up bar wages. Whether they work from home or at the office or out and about, workers are facing additional energy related costs. These range from bills at home, to the costs of getting to work. Their message is loud and clear: workers, especially the low paid and most vulnerable, must not pay the costs of decarbonisation. As a starting point, let’s get the national minimum wage rising to £15 an hour, bring retail energy companies under public ownership and let’s increase universal credit and pensions in line with inflation now.
Here in Wales, I am pleased that public bodies are committed to shifting from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric powered. But this is another example of an area where workers shouldn’t be shouldering the costs for doing the right thing.
They shouldn’t pay the costs of the shift to electric vehicles by losing their jobs in conventional vehicle maintenance. That’s why I’m so pleased that unions are leading the way in helping workers retrain in the new technology. For example, in Swansea, Unite the union worked with the council to retrain workshop staff on the new engines – saving jobs and costs for the council. This is a good example of progressive collaborative social partnership in action.
The scale of the climate emergency can feel overwhelming. But, as trade unionists, we know that when we’re united we can make huge changes.
There are so many ways you can get involved in the fight for global climate justice in a just transition in your workplace.
Ready to take an even bigger role in greening your workplace? Attend our next 'green skills' for trade unionists course in 2023.