THE ENERGY CHALLENGE

RMTnews :: july/august 2006 :: www.rmt.org.uk 10 Over 80 trade unionists, including RMT delegates, took part in the third TUC Greenworks conference recently to discuss how unions could assist in ‘greening the workplace’. Delegates discussed issues including green travel plans, how to tackle energy issues and waste at work and the need for fully accredited workplace environmental reps. GREEN TRAVEL PLANS Discussions focused on how unions could reach agreements with employers which encouraged workers to use public transport in their journeys to work rather than use the private car. Ideas included interest-free loans for train and bus season tickets, encouraging local authorities to provide accessible and reasonably- priced bus services and ensuring that companies used hybrid fuel vehicles in company fleets. However, reps had some concerns about employers charging for car parking spaces and discriminating against poorly paid staff. ENVIRONMENTAL REPS Many companies waste energy and resources through lack of effective planning and by poor environmental practice. Environmental reps should have the power to call environmental audits and hold the employer to account for the release of harmful greenhouse gases. RMT and the TUC have been pushing for environmental reps to be accorded the same legal rights as industrial, health and safety and learner reps. In the next few months the TUC will be organising Greenworkplaces courses which will focus on TU reps can contribute to promoting environmental sustainability in the workplace. For more details on this course contact RMT education officer Ray Spry-Shute on 020 7529 8820 or e-mail on R.Spry-Shute@rmt.org.uk R MT has submitted evidence to the government’s energy review report arguing for a shift from road to rail, the need for renewables as well as clean coal and carbon capture technologies and against more nuclear power. It began by pointing out that the ‘liberalised’ energy market could not deliver government targets to reduce carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, combat fuel poverty or maintain reliable energy supplies. Moreover, support and investment should be given as alternatives to a new round of nuclear power stations. Yet in the review, TUC calls for the creation of an Energy Agency to coordinate and direct energy policy have been ignored. TRANSPORT In relation to transport, the energy review has not delivered. Apart from plans to moves towards more environmentally forms of transport and support for biofuels, there is little recognition of the huge environmental benefits of rail over car and aviation. Given that transport currently accounts for around 25 per cent of all UK carbon emissions, the vast majority of which from road transport, government should encourage modal shift from road to rail for both passengers and freight. Such a shift will have to be planned and not simply left to the market. NO NUKES Controversially, the review supports the building of a new round of nuclear power stations. This year’s RMT AGM in Dublin opposed to this course of action and unanimously agreed that nuclear power is “dirty, dangerous and expensive”. Greenpeace has argued that a new round of nuclear power plants would add a massive 400 per cent to the UK stockpiles of intensely hot, highly radioactive nuclear fuel and create 100,000 tonnes of depleted uranium waste as part of reactor fuel processing. The resolution argued that the government should bring forward plans to diversify the nuclear industry so that the highly skilled work-force could transfer their skills to other less environmentally damaging sectors. In order to meet the UK’s energy needs and to deal with climate change the government should invest in environmentally sustainable and renewable energy sources including wave, wind, tidal and solar power. Since 1974, successive governments have spent almost £7 billion in research and development funding for nuclear fission compared to only £540 million in renewables. COAL The UK has 300 years of un- mined coal available to help meet energy needs so why not commit substantial and sustained investment in clean coal technology? “Thousands of jobs would be created in the mining industry and a safe, clean resource would be produced to meet both the challenge of climate change and our future energy needs,” the AGM resolution argues. GREENING THE WORKPLACE The Energy Challenge