Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 36 – January/February 2022 and GJA AGM

Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 36 – January/February 2022 and GJA AGM:

Introduction

The Greener Jobs Alliance was launched to promote skills training and job creation to meet the needs of Britain’s rapidly growing low carbon sectors and to green the whole economy. The transition to a low carbon and resource efficient economy can drive sustainable economic recovery and job creation in every part of the country as well as making existing jobs more secure. But this requires a more strategic national and local approach to deliver the workforce skills needed and to stimulate demand for clean energy and energy efficiency services.

The Greener Jobs Alliance liaises at a national and local level to build the broadest possible support for the policies, investment, partnerships and commitments needed to drive the transition to a low carbon economy.

The Greener Jobs Alliance liaises with training bodies, colleges, universities, employers, local and national Government, trade unions, housing associations, campaign and community groups – to build the policies, investment and partnerships needed to drive the transition to a low carbon economy.

The GJA runs a number of ‘free’ courses on the environment for Trade Union Reps in different parts of the UK which have been attended by a number of CWU Reps. See details below.

The GJA came into existence as a result of funding from Battersea and Wandsworth TUC.

The founder GJA Secretary and Newsletter editor was Graham Petersen who is well known to the CWU and has a long standing working relationship with the Union. He is a former TUC tutor and course designer who created safety reps training courses and the successful TUC Occupational Health & Safety Diploma Course. He was the head of the Trade Union Studies Centre at South Thames College before retirement from the post and has been a visitor and guest speaker at CWU events and meetings. After 30 editions, Graham stood down at the GJA AGM last year and has handed over to Paul Atkin as newsletter editor and Tahir Latif as GJA Secretary. Graham remains a GJA Steering Group member and is now working part time for the Wales TUC having recently written a publication for them ‘Greener workplaces for a just transition – a Wales TUC toolkit for trade unionists’.

See attached copy of the GJA Newsletter No.36 for January/February 2022.

In this Newsletter the GJA editor Paul Atkin writes a piece entitled “Between The COPS” and says that until we solve this crisis, or it overwhelms us before we can, we are now permanently between COPs. Targets now have to be ratcheted up at every COP. The editorial looks forward to the next COP in Egypt, in November 2022 with carbon emissions still increasing, intense weather patterns wreaking havoc and four crucial worldwide pending events; US President Biden’s infrastructure plan is blocked in the Senate, and the autumn midterm elections look set to restore Republican majorities in Congress; pushing the USA back towards ‘Trumpish’ denialism and rogue state territory. The Brazilian Presidential election in May, should give positive environmental momentum with the probable election of Lula da Silva of the Workers Party and removal of incumbent Bolsonaro. The IEA report that China will meet its renewables target for 2030 by 2026. The stuttering “recovery” from a pandemic that is still very much with us, has meant increasing demand for energy and huge gas price rises. This will hit households hard after April when the price cap is raised; with the average household bill reaching £2000 a year. This requires a campaign for faster insulation to reduce energy demand (and bills) and quicker transition to renewable sources.

Contents GJA Newsletter 36:

Editorial
GJA AGM
GJA New web site
Trade Union summary of the COP 2021.
ITUC Strategy
ITUC COP debriefing
Towards COP27
Are you listening DFE?
Teach the Future crowd funder
London Green Jobs Report
Leeds/Bradford Green Jobs Report
Just transition in the North of Ireland
Calendar of events
Stats of the month

Greener Jobs Alliance AGM 2022

The GJA Annual General Meeting will be held online again this year, on Tuesday 8th February, from 12.00 to 14.00 and the guest speakers are:

Olivia Blake MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Climate Change who will present the Labour Party’s proposals for meeting the climate challenge and for a just transition for workers.

Des Quinn (Unite National Officer for the Automotive Sector) and Frank Duffy (Unite Senior Steward at GKN Driveline, Birmingham) will talk about the lessons of the GKN dispute last year, the development of a worker led green transition plan to prevent redundancies; and the potential of similar plans currently being developed by workers in Rolls Royce plants today.

The AGM will also include a round-up of the year gone by, looking ahead to GJA activities in 2022, discussion, and Q&A to the speakers. GJA welcomes all supporters.

Further GJA details at: www.greenerjobsalliance.co.uk

Attachments: