GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

As the Transnational Institute report highlighted, there is a global kickback to

reclaim public services from private corporations and show that ‘ever-declining

service quality and ever-increasing prices are no inevitable”. There are many

reasons for this, but largely a response to austerity politics and recognition that

corporations deepen rather than address key social and environmental

challenges. This includes climate change and it is clear that we will not be able

to address the challenges of climate change and energy transition unless

energy is under public ownership as part of a public sector function. This

should be central to an industrial strategy that confronts the realities of climate

change without abandoning workers to the market and profits as we see today

in precarious work of zero hour contracts and low pay.

It is important that all sectors and unions look at the impact of climate change

on their members’ jobs and develop Just Transition programmes to safeguard

workers’ livelihoods and pensions supported by environmental reps within the

workplace. Finally, the motion asks for the GFTU to establish and provide a

training programme for environmental reps. At present in the UK our children

are at the forefront of the climate change agenda. We need to be standing

shoulder to shoulder with them and driving change in our workplaces. To do

this, our reps need to be trained at the same standard that our shop stewards

and health and safety reps are and at the moment there is simply nothing out

there to do that at the standard of GFTU courses. Thank you. Please support.

(Applause)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Sarah.

The motion was formally seconded

THE PRESIDENT: Would anybody like to speak on this motion? (No reply). Okay.

Thank you very much.

Motion 3 was CARRIED unanimously

THE PRESIDENT: Now we are moving on to the one rule change. That is Motion 5.

We have got a point of order that I have been told about.

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