Tony Slaven moving amendment 63.1 and supporting the NEC motion ‘The Climate Emergency – Why it Matters to UNISON’
Speaker after speaker lined up in support of this motion. The focus from the NEC was welcomed, putting the emphasis on what UNISON needs to do in the face of the climate emergency. Since April 2023, workers in the UK have been battered by more extreme weather events, from a June heatwave to over six named storms which resulted in the loss of lives, long term evacuations from flooded homes and the closure of roads and rail links across the country. Throughout this mayhem our members were delivering vital public services.
Our amendment calls for amendments to health and Safety legislation to support the mandatory use of workplace climate hazards risk assessments and publicly available climate hazards review reports by employers and trade union health and safety representatives. Climate change is with us now. Putting at risk our health and safety and our lives. Addressing climate change must become a priority for all of us.