The Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union group fully supports the campaign by the RMT to protect the conductor role on Northern Trains. As the RMT say, this is a question of health and safety for passengers and those working on the railways. As the RMT General Secretary Mick Cash has said recently ahead of a recent strike over this issue, "As a result of the Arriva Rail North attitude the action goes ahead in defence of rail safety, access and security and the public will understand that we are fighting in the interests of rail passengers across the region. This dispute is about putting public safety before private profit and that is the message we will be sending out on the picket lines"

Over the past few weeks, trade unions in Lancashire and North Yorkshire have joined protests against fracking.

On the 4th of November, protesters marched to the Kirby Misperton fracking site.

They were led by drummers from the Public Commercial Services Union samba band. Also present were representatives from the Fire Brigades Union, Unite, Unite Community, all in solidarity with the Water Protectors. For weeks now, Third Energy has continued preparations for test fracking at the KM8 well near the town, despite protests from locals and anti-fracking groups such as Frack Free Lancashire.

The TUC conference this year was uplifting for those who have long argued that trade unions should take the lead on climate change.

An ambitious motion from the Bakers' Union, passed unanimously, brought trade unions much closer to the vision on energy and industrial strategy set out in Labour's election manifesto. A dozen delegates, from unions including CWU, FBU, Prospect, Unison, USDAW, RMT, PCS, Unite and TSSA took to the rostrum, urging the TUC to campaign for the UK's rigged energy system to return to democratic control, and to work with unions on a cross-sector industrial strategy to tackle 'the irrefutable evidence that dangerous climate change is driving unprecedented changes to our environment.' Full motion here.

The Campaign against Climate Change trade union group pulled off perhaps the best ever green fringe meeting in Brighton: Another world is possible: jobs and a safe climate

Unions spoke passionately about how they saw their union, and the labour movement, can provide the leadership so lacking in government. And the Campaign against Climate Change chair, Suzanne Jeffrey, set out plans for a national conference on Climate and Jobs - another world is possible on 10 March 2018 (note date in your diary!). She said the renewed TUC commitment to tackle climate change provided an opportunity for progressive new policies for the labour movement.