Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 37 – March 2022
No. 125/2022
17 March 2022
Our Ref: EX18/22
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) Newsletter No. 37 – March 2022:
Introduction
The Greener Jobs Alliance was launched to promote skills training and job creation to meet the needs of Britain’s rapidly growing low carbon sectors and to green the whole economy. The transition to a low carbon and resource efficient economy can drive sustainable economic recovery and job creation in every part of the country as well as making existing jobs more secure. But this requires a more strategic national and local approach to deliver the workforce skills needed and to stimulate demand for clean energy and energy efficiency services.
The Greener Jobs Alliance liaises at a national and local level to build the broadest possible support for the policies, investment, partnerships and commitments needed to drive the transition to a low carbon economy.
The Greener Jobs Alliance liaises with training bodies, colleges, universities, employers, local and national Government, trade unions, housing associations, campaign and community groups – to build the policies, investment and partnerships needed to drive the transition to a low carbon economy.
The GJA runs a number of ‘free’ courses on the environment for Trade Union Reps in different parts of the UK which have been attended by a number of CWU Reps. See details below.
The GJA came into existence as a result of funding from Battersea and Wandsworth TUC.
The founder GJA Secretary and Newsletter editor was Graham Petersen who is well known to the CWU and has a long standing working relationship with the Union.
He is a former TUC tutor and course designer who created safety reps training courses and the successful TUC Occupational Health & Safety Diploma Course.
He was the head of the Trade Union Studies Centre at South Thames College before retirement from the post and has been a visitor and guest speaker at CWU events and meetings. After 30 editions, Graham stood down at the GJA AGM last year and has handed over to Paul Atkin as newsletter editor and Tahir Latif as GJA Secretary. Graham remains a GJA Steering Group member and is now working part time for the Wales TUC having recently written a publication for them ‘Greener workplaces for a just transition – a Wales TUC toolkit for trade unionists’.
See attached copy of the GJA Newsletter No.37 for March 2022
In this Newsletter the GJA editor Paul Atkin writes a piece entitled “The Price of Gas” talking about the violent upward twist in the cost of living from the spikes in oil and gas prices resulting from the recovery from the Covid recession overlaid by the impact of the Ukraine war is leading to other countries in Europe sharply accelerating plans to shift to renewables and – to some extent – nuclear: with Germany now setting 2035 as its target date for 100% fossil free energy generation.
Ed Miliband’s 5-point plan for energy security is on similar lines and, given the failure of the current government’s market led approach to make the transition at the speed we need and generate the jobs that it could, this will require a significant increase in state investment and public ownership to make it happen. An issue that we need to address at the September conferences of the TUC and opposition parties.
Paul also covers the Nigel Farage announcement that he is to front up a campaign for a referendum against what he calls ‘the ruinous net zero targets’ – arguing ‘if we are not careful, the only zero will be the amount in people’s bank accounts’; somehow not noticing that it is the increase in gas prices from £13.50 per Kilowatt Hour last January to as much as £290 per KWh now that is emptying people’s pockets. As Farage always has serious money behind his projects, be prepared for an onslaught of misinformation and phoney populism directed at our movement – says Paul Atkin.
Contents GJA Newsletter 36: 1. Editorial – The Price of Gas 2. We need a windfall tax and public ownership 3. Great Homes Upgrade 4. Green Jobs boast falls flat 5. Lessons from GKN 6. Net Zero Schools. Unions tell DFE to go further 7. Putting the worker voice at the heart of recovery programmes 8. For a common program and solidarity for Africa at COP27 9. Sinn Fein on Just transition 10. Taking liberties 11. Union action on toxic air 12. Green bites
Attachment:
GJA-Newsletter-37-March 2022
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce National Health, Safety & Environment Officer