Britain could help tackle climate change and create one million new jobs in the process.
A new pamphlet from the UK Campaign Against Climate Change trade union group, backed by the unions RMT, CWU, PCS, TSSA and UCU, says the new jobs “are involved in producing alternative energy, insulating and renovating buildings and making more efficient appliances, investing in public transport and educating and training new workers.”
Jonathan Neale, one of the pamphlet’s authors, says: “We want people to use the pamphlet to organise local meetings of trade unionists and put the argument for green jobs. We hope it will give confidence to workers facing job losses to fight.”
The pamphlet notes: “Some jobs will go – in the old energy economy for example. But many more jobs will be created than lost. It takes many more workers to run buses and trains than it does to build cars for the same number of passengers. And jobs renovating homes and buildings do not put anyone out of work.
“We will have to protect people who lose their jobs – and this is easy if the government is hiring the climate workers.
“The new Climate Service that we want to see will hire a million direct workers, but create about one and a half million jobs in all. This is a rough estimate.”
It notes that governments spend money when it suits them – on wars, armaments, or bailing out the banks – so the price tag isn’t a valid argument. “We estimate that we can employ a million workers over a 10 year period for less than the government gave the banks in one year. The government will save money on taxes and benefits by employing more workers. The same is true for the indirect jobs that would be created.
“And the government will get money back – bus and train passengers can buy tickets, people will pay bills for electricity from renewable energy.”
How to create 1m UK green jobs
Britain could help tackle climate change and create one million new jobs in the process.
A new pamphlet from the UK Campaign Against Climate Change trade union group, backed by the unions RMT, CWU, PCS, TSSA and UCU, says the new jobs “are involved in producing alternative energy, insulating and renovating buildings and making more efficient appliances, investing in public transport and educating and training new workers.”
Jonathan Neale, one of the pamphlet’s authors, says: “We want people to use the pamphlet to organise local meetings of trade unionists and put the argument for green jobs. We hope it will give confidence to workers facing job losses to fight.”
The pamphlet notes: “Some jobs will go – in the old energy economy for example. But many more jobs will be created than lost. It takes many more workers to run buses and trains than it does to build cars for the same number of passengers. And jobs renovating homes and buildings do not put anyone out of work.
“We will have to protect people who lose their jobs – and this is easy if the government is hiring the climate workers.
“The new Climate Service that we want to see will hire a million direct workers, but create about one and a half million jobs in all. This is a rough estimate.”
It notes that governments spend money when it suits them – on wars, armaments, or bailing out the banks – so the price tag isn’t a valid argument. “We estimate that we can employ a million workers over a 10 year period for less than the government gave the banks in one year. The government will save money on taxes and benefits by employing more workers. The same is true for the indirect jobs that would be created.
“And the government will get money back – bus and train passengers can buy tickets, people will pay bills for electricity from renewable energy.”
For more, see the report in Socialist Worker and the ITUC climate change webpages.