- Conference
- 2021 Virtual Special Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 6 April 2021
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference recognises that:
1)The impacts of the climate emergency are already evident and have profoundly altered human and natural systems;
2)In the UK, we are witnessing more frequent and extreme weather events. In 2019, our communities experienced flooding and also summer heatwaves that resulted in nearly 900 excess deaths. There were more UK wildfires in the previous year than for any year on record across Cornwall, Dorset, Derbyshire, Northern Ireland, the Peak District, Rotherham, the Scottish Highlands, Wiltshire and Wales. Further flooding was experienced in 2021;
3)The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has established that for the world to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown, emissions must be slashed worldwide by 45% in the next ten years;
4)Over 300 UK councils have declared a climate emergency but have no access to long-term funding from central government to help drive the action needed to protect our communities, our members and their families;
5)Local government is on the frontline of the climate emergency, needing to reduce local emissions and those from its own operations. Our members play a fundamental role in mitigating climate change and adapting infrastructure to climate change. This covers areas like land use, planning, transport, waste, purchasing and commissioning goods, pollution control, energy use and production, public health, social care, education and civil contingencies. As local government begins the process of emerging from Covid-19 and reviewing how services are structured and provided, it is vital that local government services are �built back� greener, taking advantage of the opportunities the green agenda presents;
6)UNISON members across local government, including those in the Fire and Rescue Service, face massive increases in workload, pressure and stress along with future changes to workplace practices and procedures as temperatures rise. They have a right to be consulted on environmental issues that affect them;
7)Large corporations have been a major contributor towards the climate emergency and have a huge responsibility to mitigate it. Many of these companies provide local government services through outsourcing;
8)Climate change affects lower paid workers disproportionately;
Conference applauds the school children on strike in 2019, UNISON�s National Young Members Forum and those UNISON members and branches who supported climate strikes, protests, and UNISON Green Week. Conference also applauds UNISON Scotland for leading the way in campaigning and organising on workplace climate issues.
Conference also congratulates branches like UNISON Stockport who have negotiated facilities agreements for environment reps and training for staff. Such steps are crucial if reps are to successfully carry out their role, attend meetings with management, undertake workplace environmental audits and negotiate for a just transition to a net-zero-carbon working environment.
This November, world leaders will gather in Glasgow for the next global climate summit and UNISON will continue to advocate for strong action on the climate emergency.
Recovery from the pandemic provides a unique opportunity to take urgent action and invest in a greener and fairer deal for local government � one that creates jobs, new skills and protects our health and the planet�s natural resources. The climate emergency must be treated with the same urgency as Covid-19.
Conference therefore calls upon the Local Government Service Group Executive to:
a)Raise awareness that the climate emergency is a trade union issue that needs to be formally recognised as part of a modern, negotiating and bargaining agenda;
b)Encourage all branches to appoint an environment rep;
c)Organise and promote regional and local events to raise awareness of the climate emergency among members, and learning events for existing and new reps;
d)Encourage branches to campaign for their employers to declare a climate emergency and draft action plans;
e)Work with those local authorities that have declared a climate emergency, to enable members to attend the 26th Conference of the Parties UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow;
f)Continue to campaign for a reversal of cuts to funding from central government for local government services, vital in building resilience to the climate breakdown.