Climate has to be an issue for all our members

The environment was at the forefront of debate at this week’s special delegate conference, with members in agreement that any real recovery from the pandemic must involve the creation of a green and sustainable economy – one that includes public service workers at its heart. All eyes are now on the United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP26), in Glasgow in November 2021. The union will be mobilising members for a significant engagement at the talks, to ensure the needs of workers and public services are central to the results. Moving the motion Tackling climate change and COP26, Tony Slaven of UNISON Scotland told the SDC: “The growing crisis of climate is one we can no longer put aside, either as a society or as a union. The threat of climate chaos is going to drive massive social change. We no longer have a choice about that.” Mr Slaven said that the government’s green ‘rhetoric’ was at odds with many recent ministerial actions – support for a new coalmine, cutting overseas aid, planning new gas stations and thousands of miles of road, and cutting taxes on flights. So far, the government was “failing miserably”,  he said. “Personal action will never be enough. It will take government action to ban fracking, to [take] our energy system away from fossil fuels and to a sustainable source, to ensure that existing housing is retrofitted and new buildings constructed to a higher standard. The bodies whose task it is to regulate and co...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article News 2021 virtual special national delegate conference climate change green unison international Source Type: news