- Conference
- 2025 National LGBT+ Conference
- Date
- 1 August 2025
- Decision
- Carried
Conference welcomes and recognises the importance of 2026’s union-wide campaign ‘Year of Green Activities’. Over recent years, the United Kingdom has experienced significant bouts of extreme weather, such as unprecedented heat waves, wildfires and flooding. While these events have destructive effects on local communities, we know that it is the most marginalised groups in these communities who bear the brunt of these events. It is not the mega-rich who are most at risk from the effects of extreme weather, but lower paid workers, many of whom are already in precarious employment arrangements such as zero-hour contracts or bank/agency work. Within this group there are significant numbers of Black, women, disabled and LGBT+ workers who will shoulder an additional burden due to the pre-existing societal, economic and health inequalities that affect their communities. The World Health Organization has declared that “climate change is the most pressing public-health challenge facing humanity” yet governments and large corporations do not seem to share this urgency. As a union that can be proud of our track record on equalities and workers’ rights, it is vital that we recognise that climate change will affect these areas and by engaging with this campaign we can protect job security and the wellbeing of our members.
Conference calls on the National LGBT+ Committee to-
1)Establish a “Green Activities” working group to lead LGBT+ Self Organised Group engagement with this campaign and to embed sustainable practices going forward.
2)Promote across the union, the importance of reducing single-use merchandise in favour of products that are reusable and promote a sustainable lifestyle.
3)Commission and publish environmental impact assessments on all LGBT+ conferences and meetings, while encouraging virtual meetings as a means of reducing the impact of travel by members.
4)Where face to face LGBT+ events do take place, commit to funding carbon offset initiatives and review the indirect environmental impact of supply chains used to facilitate the event, for example- venues, catering, marketing materials.
5)Collaborate with UNISON College and education reps to ensure that there is a full range of education on sustainable practices, including Carbon Literacy training available for members.
6)Work with UNISON’s National Executive Council and senior officers in the union to commission and publish an audit of financial services used by UNISON to ensure that any providers used are environmentally responsible and do not invest in the fossil fuel industry.