Lambeth UNISON supports Environment Reps

LAMBETH UNISON GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO ENVIRONMENT REPS

The Lambeth Branch of UNISON - the second largest trade union in the UK - has voted to establish environmental reps in workplaces across the Borough. At a meeting of the Lambeth Branch Committee on 15th September, Branch activists agreed to encourage Lambeth UNISON members to elect environmental representatives within their places of work.The TUC has a led campaign for establishing environmental representatives in the workplace with the same rights as other union reps. Currently union branches can elect environment reps, but they do not have the same rights as shop stewards or health and safety reps. For example, they aren't able to take paid time off work to undertake their duties.According to the Carbon Trust, workplaces directly produce around 40 per cent of the UK's carbon emissions.

UNISON lead the way in the union movement by becoming the first trade union to sign-up to the environmental campaign Stop Climate Chaos. UNISON nationally have published a suggested “job description” for workplace environmental representatives and a model agreement for branches to try to negotiate with employers for time off for environmental representatives.Several Lambeth UNISON members who are not currently representatives have show an interest in becoming environmental reps and Lambeth Branch previously took a leading role in the recruitment of Union Learning Representatives.

The Branch also agreed to establish a working group to consolidate detailed recommendations to submit at the Branch AGM and negotiate basic agreements with our employers in an attempt to secure recognition of the role of environmental representatives and appropriate time-off arrangements.The proposer of the motion, UNISON shop steward James Caspell, stated: “Given that the disastrous social and economic consequences of climate change are driven by the current economic system, the labour movement is a vital agent in the fight against it. The creation of environmental reps is a positive step to combat climate change from within the workplace“

Branch Secretary Nick Venedi added, “Trade Unions and their branches should have the right to establish workplace environmental representatives who have the same rights at work as other trade union representatives. This will include appropriate facilities and time off to undertake their duties”