The articles below were originally published on the Greener Jobs Alliance blog.

The case for union involvement and retrofit as public works

The Retrofit for the Future Campaign, launched at an online meeting on 19th March, is a collaboration between the Peace and Justice Project, Fuel Poverty Action, community and renters’ union ACORN, and health professionals’ campaign group Medact. Detailed demands are set out on the campaign website, but in a nutshell they address three key areas:

• A proper plan for developing a skilled workforce to carry out energy efficiency retrofits.
• Protection for private sector tenants against evictions or rent hikes after retrofit work on homes.
• Accountability to residents for the quality and effectiveness of work on their homes.

Climate campaigners and retrofit specialists have long pointed out the urgent need to address the UK’s leaky buildings (with homes currently contributing around 20% of territorial emissions), as well as the formidable task of building the needed skilled workforce, the inadequacy of training programmes that fail to equip trainees with a holistic understanding of the thermal dynamics of the building, and the dreadful health consequences of badly implemented retrofits resulting in cold bridges, damp and mould, too often with no redress for householders.

Furthermore, with the government increasingly leaning in to the rightwing framing of climate action as an unaffordable imposition on ordinary people, the case for a campaign that counters that by clearly articulating the synergies between climate action and good jobs, health, decent housing and lower energy bills becomes indisputable. However, as supporters we have some, hopefully constructive, points to make, relating both to the campaign demands and, connectedly, to the work of translating the common interest of workers, activists and communities into an effective campaign.

Call to action for Unite members: the deadline for branches to submit motions to be debated at the July policy conference is 31st January.

The recently formed Unite Grassroots Climate Justice Caucus is seeking to get the same motion submitted by as many branches as possible. These were chosen with the aims of keeping the motions simple and focusing on the top priorities that emerged during Caucus meetings. Caucus members are asked to choose one of these two motions. 

Each Unite branch can submit one motion only (unfortunately Unite Community branches cannot submit motions, though in some cases they may have influence with their local geographical or sector-based branches). Your Branch Secretary should have circulated the information including Conference forms for motions. If not, you still have time to contact them and ask for a Branch meeting to take place before the conference deadline in January, to select a motion. Branch members would have to have enough notice to consider the motion (and any other motions on the table) before agreeing what to submit to conference.

No new fossil fuels motion: Currently Unite's policy is to support continued fossil fuel extraction and is using Carbon Capture and Storage as the justification for doing so. This motion aims to push for the end of support for new extraction but does not mention existing production at this stage because the motion would be lost given the number of workers Unite represents in fossil fuel industries. But, if won, this would be a start. Motion text

Workers Assemblies in key sectors motion: Not many of the Caucus members work in industries such as fossil fuels, chemicals, automotive or aviation. However, if you do, you may want to push for this motion to be sent to conference as it argues for Workers Assemblies to take place in all sectors to move forward the Climate Justice & Just Transition agenda. Motion text

Unite members can join the Climate Justice Caucus here.

You can also get in touch to inform the caucus about motions being submitted via CACCTU on climatetradeunion@gmail.com

Unite Grassroots Climate Justice Caucus is an unofficial group of members of Unite the Union who want to link up and organise at grassroot level to improve how Unite approaches Climate Justice.