Labour for a Green New Deal – Worker-Climate Conference – Sheffield Sat/Sun 19/20 February 2022
Introduction
Labour for a Green New Deal (LGND) aims to contribute to the necessary development of a worker movement which can address climate change by hosting a national ‘Worker-Climate Conference’, in the aftermath of Labour Party Conference and COP26. To achieve this, LGND’s Trade Union team will bring together the range of organisers engaged in this work, to build relationships; discuss experience; and plan future strategy.
Logistics and Sessions
- The conference will take place in Sheffield, on the weekend of February 19/20th
- Hosted by the community venue Foodhall, who will provide lunch for both days
- Sessions will run from 11-6pm on Saturday (19th); 9.30-2pm Sunday (20th)
- The sessions will include:
- Propositional worker-climate demands in the 21st century: Exploring propositional demands, giving participants a chance to think ambitiously about the kind of movement which can be built, and the wins it can achieve.
- Evaluation of worker-climate organising in 2020/21: A chance to share and reflect upon participants’ organising in the last two years. Includes group discussions and opportunity for participants to talk one to one with each other about the overlap/differences in their organising approaches.
- Just transition: Divided by sectors: public, private, and high-carbon industry, this will be an opportunity to examine the specific dynamics of organising towards socialist decarbonisation in different industries and legal frameworks.
- Local organising: Examine how worker-climate efforts should work constructively with local union and climate organising, using the LGND local transport campaigns as an example.
- Models of organising in UK unions: Considering how organising for climate in UK unions can effectively take place based on specific dynamics and opportunities of different unions.
Participants
- The LGND are aiming for 100 participants and are inviting individuals from across the labour movement who have had significant involvement in worker-climate organising, allowing the conference to be a chance for participants to learn from each other’s practical efforts.
- LGND aim for these participants to come from across a range of UK unions, as well as cross-union organisations such as TUC/STUC.
Outcomes
- Develop key aims and demands for UK worker-climate organising, such as: developing a cohesive cross-union climate bargaining agenda, building and utilising a set of methods for workers to legally take industrial action on climate related issues in workplaces.
- Create network of worker-climate organisers to continue planning and collaborating, and understand which activities require cross-union coordination, utilising existing organisations which can support this e.g. TUC/STUC, and proposing new forms of network where needed.
- Identify immediate next steps for organising: spreading political and practical education for workplaces, branches and regions around methods for useful worker-climate action; support worker groups in developing their own ‘Lucas Plan’ style propositions for decarbonisation of their industry/workplace.
- Understand the role for LGND TU team in future efforts, this could be: organising follow-up conferences on more specific tactics/methods; facilitating knowledge-sharing between worker-climate networks being developed.
For those wishing to attend and participate; registration is here:
Further information:- tradeunions@labourgnd.uk
Labour For a Green New Deal Website:-https://www.labourgnd.uk/
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 
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