Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 59 – April 2024

Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 59 – April 2024:

Introduction & History – The GJA:

The Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) came into existence as a result of funding from Battersea and Wandsworth TUC. The GJA 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.

GJA Founder Graham Petersen: 

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 and 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 is the author of a publication for them entitled ‘Greener workplaces for a just transition – a Wales TUC toolkit for trade unionists’ which was circulated by the CWU Health, Safety and Environment Department.

GJA ‘Free’ Courses:

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 with details published in the newsletter.

The GJA now offers three ‘on-line’ courses as follows:

1. Climate Change Awareness

This short introductory course is aimed at trade unionists and anyone wishing to develop their understanding of the issues around climate change.  The course is divided into 4 modules.  The modules contain background information, short videos, graphs and illustrations.

• Module 1: Climate Change Explained
• Module 2: International Responses
• Module 3: Trade Union Responses
• Module 4: Getting Involved

At the end of each section, there are references and links to additional materials if you want to go further. There are no formal tests and you can work through the materials at your own pace but there are optional quizzes to check your understanding at the end of modules 1, 2 and 3.

2. A Trade Union Guide to Just Transition

Social justice must be at the heart of the development of a net-zero carbon economy. The course covers:

• The meaning and history of the term just transition
• Why it should be a priority issue
• UK and international policies and case studies
• Ideas for developing an action plan

It is aimed at trade unionists and anyone wishing to improve their understanding of why just transition should be central to climate change policy.

3. Air Quality – a trade union issue

The following issues will be explored in this free online course. It is made up of 3 modules,

• Module 1: The Causes and Health Impacts of Air Pollution
• Module 2: The Law and Government Policy
• Module 3:  Trade Union Responses and Campaigns

Link to GJA on-line Courses: https://greenerjobsalliance.co.uk/courses/

• TUC green rep courses:

The TUC announced, earlier this year, a series of new ‘free’ to attend “green rep training courses for 2024 as follows:

All union reps and officers are welcome, new or experienced, and whether in any Union role. All trade unionists can benefit from understanding what the TU movement can do to protect and empower Union members during the climate crisis. The 2024 course programme is:-

• Stockport College Online 5, 12,19 Feb ‘2024
• City of Bristol College In-person 11,18, 25 Jun ‘2024
• Newcastle College In-person 11,18, 25 Jun ‘2024

Link to the TUC ‘Green Rep’ Courses:- https://www.tuc.org.uk/training/TUCcourses

Paul Atkin Editorial GJA Newsletter Issue 59 – ‘Victories and success stories:’ 

Paul opens his editorial by reproducing ‘Catherine Porritt’s speech to the Yorkshire and Humber TUC Conference in April which he says strikes the right tone for where we are now. Paul goes on to examine the worrying current indications of global temperature rises. In Feb, Global temperatures for the first time exceeded 1.7 degrees, over pre-industrialised temperatures and for the whole of last year, for the first time, Global average temperatures were 1.5 degrees up for the entire year. He concludes that the ‘Climate Tipping point seems to be here’ and faster than the UK is planning for – Depressing News! On a better note West Yorkshire Council decided to go from a Bus Franchising model to one of Public control. A ‘Better Buses campaign’ started years ago, with a few activists collecting signatures for petitions in bus stations, but now West Yorkshire has taken a major step forward. Plans for reliable, cheap, clean, zero carbon and efficient buses for West Yorkshire are on the way. Paul concludes; “We can all have a positive influence in many ways and as UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres says: “Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.” 

Read the full Editorial & GJA Newsletter Edition 59 attached.

Contents GJA Newsletter 59:

• Editorial: ‘Victories and success stories’
• How to support Ex GKN Firenze worker’s occupation
• Drax: 1. Greenwashing and Jobswashing, while We Foot the Bill. Drax 2. For a worker led transition
• Promoting Climate Literacy in Canada’s Construction Industry
• Can we do it here? Next GJA SG
• Support for Fare Free London Campaign
• Correction. Sunak steps on the gas
• Going through the motions: 1 NEU Conference. 2 Achieving a Just Transition for Yorkshire and the Humber in 2024
• New Rules: Right to Repair: Social leasing scheme
• Events: Heat struck heat strikes: 1 CACCTU Conference 2 GMB for Energy for All 3 ILR; Working Conditions in New York State’s Solar Industry 4 Green Left meeting; population, migration and climate change
• A Climate Change Conference in Afghanistan
• Mums for Lungs London #Mayor4CleanAir campaign
• Air pollution – all in a day’s work?
• Green bites

Green Bites:

• 20 million – The number of people displaced by climate impacts every year at present.
• 127 – Former oil and gas employees – including 49 industry bosses or senior executives – recruited into top government roles and ministerial advisory boards since 2011. ‘The Ferret.’
• 40,000 – New jobs created in renewable energy and low carbon sectors in 2022, compared to 8,500 lost in oil and gas, so almost five gains for every loss. ‘ONS.’
• 1% – Percentage of global carbon emissions captured by CCS plants last year. Fossil fuel companies continue to use pledges of CCS as a get out of jail free card to allow business as usual to carry on.  ‘Open Democracy.’
• 4X – Cycleways in London have quadrupled since Sadiq Khan was elected in 2016.
• £1.2 billion – The amount that Chinese battery firm EVE is planning to invest in a gigafactory outside Coventry that should create 6,000 jobs.
• £50 billion – The amount that 6 changes to wealth tax could raise every year; enough to pay for Labour’s watered down green investment pledge almost twice over.
• 1,200 – The number of EV charging points installed in UK supermarket car parks last year, including at 600 new sites. This is, however, only 10% of the total. The recent practice of rebuilding stores with large housing developments above them will have a bigger impact on denting carbon emissions from shopping journeys.

What is a just transition?

A just transition seeks to ensure that the substantial benefits of a green economy transition are shared widely, while also supporting those who stand to lose economically – be they countries, regions, industries, communities, workers or consumers.

A rapid increase in the speed and scale of actions required to reduce the risks of climate change will create new economic opportunities.

Whilst a just transition is mainly based on environmental considerations, it is also shaped by other structural changes affecting labour markets, such as globalisation, labour-saving technologies and the shift to services.

A just transition is an integral part of many of the global commitments adopted by countries. The Paris Agreement acknowledges “the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities” and highlights the importance of workers in responding to climate change.

Furthermore, the just transition concept links to 14 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, explicitly drawing together SDGs No 12 – climate action, No 10 – reduced inequalities, No 8 – decent work and economic growth, and No 7 – affordable and clean energy.

Many countries have recognised the challenge that this transformation entails and are taking measures to protect those that are most vulnerable and affected by the changes, including across the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) regions.

• The European Union’s Just Transition Mechanism is integral to the EU’s Green Deal, targeted at ensuring “a fair transition to a climate-neutral economy, leaving no one behind” and aims to mobilise at least €150 billion over the period 2021-2027;
• The Solidarity and Just Transition Silesia Declarationsigned by 50 countries at COP24, which states that: “a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs are crucial to ensure an effective and inclusive transition”;
• Climate Action for Jobs Initiative, co-led by the International Labour Organisation, Spain and Peru, with 46 countries committing to develop “national plans for a just transition and create decent green jobs”.
• The UNFCCC Gender Action plan, whereby parties to the UNFCCC have recognized the importance of involving women and men equally in the development and implementation of national climate policies that are gender-responsive.

Quote of the Month

“Earth is issuing a distress call. Fossil fuel pollution is sending climate chaos off the charts. Sirens are blaring across all major indicators. There’s still time to throw out a lifeline to people and planet, but leaders must step up and act now.”

António Guterres UN Secretary-General

Much more in the GJA Newsletter No 59, April 2024 attached.

 Attachment: 

• GJA Newsletter No.59 for April 2024.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 167/24 – Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 59 – April 2024

Attachment: GJA-Newsletter-59-April-2024

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