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Campaign for the green economy
[ch 1: pages 55-56]The TUC is represented on the government’s Green Economy Council (GEC) alongside leading business and government representatives. The government has described the council as “the leading engagement mechanism for development of new green growth policies.” The council has focussed on specifics — urging government support for the UK’s energy intensive industries like steel and ceramics; pushing for government leadership in skills for a green economy; and advocating the use of public procurement to support UK supply chains in industries such as new nuclear power and renewables.
Working through the Green Economy Council, the TUC and industry have joined together in developing new industry policies for our heavy energy industries. For the future of industries like steel, cement, glass, paper, chemicals, ceramics, government support is vital to ease the cost of energy and for huge new investments in groundbreaking new low carbon technology. These industries employ around 800,000 people directly and in their supply chains, making products vital to our sustainable future: steel for wind turbines, recyclable plastics and glass for double glazing. Yet they are under immense pressure because of their huge energy demands and significant carbon emissions.
Through joint TUC-industry reports and campaigns we are beginning to make a difference in influencing government support, by showing the huge contribution these industries make in terms of jobs, skills and value added to our economy.
A new direction is needed in our skills strategy. Evidence of skills shortages even at a time of high unemployment, with a million young people out of work, tells us that. Through the Green Economy Council and our work with the Sector Skills Councils, the TUC and unionlearn have made the case for government to assume leadership at Ministerial level to invest in talent for the future, especially in the STEM skills: science, technology, engineering and maths. Go to TUC response to the Government’s low carbon skills consultation: www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmenvaud/writev/green/m41.htm.
Reskilling and upskilling
The LRD study found little improvement on the 2009 survey when it came to the area of retraining and reskilling at work to meet the challenge of sustainable production and service delivery. More than half of the reps (59%) said their employer had not introduced opportunities for reskilling and upskilling in relation to climate change.
Only 10% said opportunities had become available (up only three percentage points compared to 2009). Among this small number are workers at Leyland Trucks where the Unite reps report that all of the assembly line operators received training due to their ‘Hybrid’ build programme with more training required when the electric truck option becomes available. Also Prospect reps at Dounreay Site Restoration who work on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Society explain there is a resource management policy: “If individuals wish to retrain and a vacancy is there reskilling is encouraged,” they said.
The TUC is concerned that the current level of skills training is inadequate to meet the needs of a low carbon, resource-efficient economy. Furthermore, relying on employer-led initiatives to identify skills gaps is causing delays in moving towards a green economy, as this survey result suggests.