- Conference
- 2011 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 25 February 2011
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is concerned that as a result of savage funding cuts the green agenda could be dropped or sidelined by many employers.
Conference notes that many college jobs are reliant on the development of training and education provision that supports the growth of new green industries.
Conference is very concerned that the Tory led Westminster Government’s funding cuts could put some of these vital programs at risk, leading to even further job cuts in colleges.
Conference therefore calls on the Service Group Executive to:
1)Conduct a survey of colleges to identify the impact of Government funding cuts on those college programmes intended to support new green industries.
Conference also notes the important role that colleges in their own right have to play in helping to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions. Colleges teach and train over three million people every year. In doing so they use significant amounts of energy and other resources and generate a vast amount of student and staff travel. They therefore have a significant role to play in helping to reduce workplace emissions.
Conference therefore further calls on the Service Group Executive to:
a)Work with the Association of Colleges (AoC) to help identify ways colleges can reduce their waste, electricity and gas consumption
b)Lobby the AoC to encourage colleges to purchase locally produced provisions such as food and other materials to help cut down on their own carbon footprint
c)Produce guidance for colleges on negotiating flexible working practices, including home working or a compressed working week to help reduce car journeys
d)Lobby the AoC to agree joint guidelines calling on colleges to grant facility time to union environment representatives
e)Work with branches to prioritise recruiting, and training, UNISON environmental representatives in colleges