Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 61 – June 2024: Introduction & History – The GJA

Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 61 – June 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 and these have been taking place in various locations since February as informed in previous LTBs.

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. Forthcoming face to face classroom courses are listed in the programme across the TUC Regions at:- www.tuc.org.uk/training/TUCcourses

 Paul Atkin Editorial GJA Newsletter Issue 61: “The Stakes on July 4” (General Election Day)

Paul concentrates his Editorial on the crucial outcome of next month’s General Election where the nation’s future direction on climate change and environmental policies rests heavily. In a recent survey by IZA, 83% of people in the UK said they wanted more action from the next government to stop climate breakdown. The climate vote survey shows that not a single Conservative MP has a good voting record on climate and the current Tory government has gone out of its way to try to mobilise people against action on it. Paul concludes that the fewer of these Tory politicians that are returned as MPs the better! He adds that the next government will be facing an acceleration of the degeneration of our environment, a divergence between current plans and targets that are both necessary and imperative. Paul quotes Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth who recently stated that “If Labour forms the next government, they will have to produce a comprehensive and lawful climate plan that meets our domestic carbon budgets and our international commitment to reduce emissions by two-thirds by 2030 – or face possible legal action if it falls short. Warm words on how to tackle an overheating planet are not enough. We need urgent action now.” Paul concludes that massive pressure is needed through the labour movement and throughout society to back that up.

Read the full Editorial & GJA Newsletter Edition 61 attached.

PM Rishi Sunak’s Lies on TV

The GJA has put this up in the debate blog to puncture the lies Sunak told on the election TV debate on Tuesday night 4 June about the costs of Electric Vehicles and Heat Pumps. The GJA wants to put the record straight and pass the information on to anyone who might have to argue with Sunak’s misleading claims on the doorstep or elsewhere during General Election campaigning for Labour.  https://greenerjobsalliance.co.uk/mythbusters-3-its-gonna-cost-you/

PM Sunak’s riches rise again

The personal wealth of Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rose by £122 Million last year to £651 Million according to the Sunday Times Rich List. What does he know or care about working class people in the UK?

Tories ‘coin it’ – pocketing million from fossil fuel companies who oppose radical climate change policies 

The hard cash received by UK main political parties from ‘Fossil Fuel Companies since the last General Election is:-

• Conservatives £8.4 million, 
• Lib Dems, £142,000, 

Labour £41,000. 

Contents GJA Newsletter 61:

• Editorial: The Stakes on July 4th
• Vote Climate
• Info Hub for General Election 2024
• Environmental Nakba in Gaza
• Why China’s CO2 emissions may have peaked in 2023
• OECD Shift in Energy Generation from Fossils to Renewables
• Lowestoft and the Existential Threat of Inadequate Flood Defences
• Health and safety enforcement under the spotlight
• New Deal and Just Transition in this year’s Higher Education (HE) union claim.
• Union conference round up: UNISON. BFAWU 
• Events. Heat Strike Online Rally. TUC Webinar, Health and Safety in a Changing 

Climate. UCU Green Bargaining Course.

• Mums for Lungs election poster
• New Rules: EU Ecodesign regulation
• Green Bites

Green Bites – Stats of The Month:

• $7 Trillion – Total global fossil fuel subsidies in 2022. From the IMF. It is estimated that to be on course for Net Zero by 2050 the world would have to invest $4 Trillion a year in energy transition. Transferring the subsidy looks like a “win, win”.
• £20 Billion – How much more fossil fuels were subsidised over renewables by the UK government between 2015 and 2023. From LFF Stats of the Month
• 71% – Higher sales of used EVs in the UK in the first quarter of 2024 over the first quarter of 2023. Fossil fuel cars still account for 92% of all sales but these only grew by 2%. Overall, sales of all cars are 2.6% below pre covid levels.
• 80% – of people in Africa have to cook on open fires or on basic stoves, with severe impacts on health, gender equality and the environment. Inhaling hazardous smoke from wood, charcoal, animal dung and agricultural waste is the second leading cause of premature deaths on the continent among women and children, who also miss out on opportunities for education and employment because of the time they spend gathering cooking fuel. See IEA Summit on clean cooking in Africa.
• 5,000 – The number of local bus services cut under the Conservatives since 2010. Manchester, Liverpool and West Yorkshire are now taking control back from private companies.
• £530 million – How much the government is committing to decarbonise public buildings. It is estimated that getting schools alone to net zero by 2030 would cost £16.3 billion. To reach the target of a 78% reduction by 2035 would cost £2 billion a year. At present the DFE is spending £221 million (just over a tenth of the way there). This is described by the government as “part of the government’s plan to reach its world-leading net zero targets in a sustainable, pragmatic way” proving, once again, how far from “sustainable” their “pragmatism” is.
• £795 billion – Combined wealth of the richest 350 individuals and families in the UK according to the Sunday Times. An orchard of magic money trees if anyone cares to harvest it

 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 Declaration signed 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

““Climate change will not suddenly become dangerous at 1.5C – it already is –

and it will not be ‘game over’ if we pass 2C, which we might well do.

Every tenth of a degree matters.”

Professor Peter Cox – University of Exeter.

 Much more in the GJA Newsletter No 61, June 2024 attached.

 Attachment: 

• GJA Newsletter No.61 for June 2024.

Yours Sincerely,

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety and Environment Officer

LTB 195-24 – Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 61 – June 2024 Introduction & History – The GJA

GJA-Newsletter-61-June-2024

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