Below and in printable form is a General Motion intended for wide circulation across the trade union movement, and adoption by branches, regions, trades councils and annual conferences, with an ultimate aim for it to be heard at the 2024 TUC. The motion is deliberately pitched at a high level, starting with the basic assertion that climate change is a class issue and a trade union issue.  It sets out the fundamental elements that should underpin the climate policies of every union in order to achieve a common understanding of the crisis, and how to respond to it in the interests of ..read more

We stand with millions around the world calling for: Ceasefire now. An end to the siege on Gaza: safe water, food, fuel, and medicine now. Release all hostages and all Palestinian political prisoners being held illegally. An end to Israel's occupation and work towards a just peace We are horrified at the ongoing suffering and condemn all attacks on civilians and collective punishment. As trade unionists we also look to a just solution to the conflict. Many of the unions we belong to have policy which opposes Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land, apartheid policies and permanent sie ..read more

We stand with millions around the world calling for: Ceasefire now. An end to the siege on Gaza: safe water, food, fuel, and medicine now. Release all hostages and all Palestinian political prisoners being held illegally. An end to Israel's occupation and work towards a just peace We are horrified at the ongoing suffering and condemn all attacks on civilians and collective punishment. As trade unionists we also look to a just solution to the conflict. Many of the unions we belong to have policy which opposes Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land, apartheid policies and permanent sie ..read more

John Moloney, Assistant General Secretary, PCS: PCS Union was closely involved with developing the original One Million Climate Jobs campaign. As climate disasters intensify, global emissions rise, and the gap widens between UK climate targets and effective polices to achieve them, the need is greater than ever for a comprehensive climate jobs plan to cut emissions across all sectors.  For PCS, we know this necessary transformation cannot be implemented effectively as the Civil Service is not designed to deliver a long term plan that requires the greatest degree of cross departmental wor ..read more

Sunak's dangerous backtracking on policies for net zero, in a craven attempt to win votes for an unpopular Tory government, is a disaster for the planet and does nothing to tackle the cost of living crisis. Every trade unionist should challenge and join campaigners in opposing this. Sadly there is nothing new in backtracking on climate pledges from the Tory party in government. But we should expect different from trade trade union leaders. This summer has shown the devastating impacts of climate change. Several thousand lives have been lost in Libya as a result of the most serious climate eve ..read more

Campaign against Climate Change have always believed big street mobilisations are a vital part of the fight to get the urgent climate action we need to avoid catastrophe. We're supporting the XR call-out for the 'BIG ONE' mobilisation, aiming to get 100,000 gathering around Parliament 21-24 April.  It's clear that the multiple crises we face are interlinked: irreversible climate breakdown, spiralling cost of living and poverty, and attacks on fundamental rights to protest and strike. So let's make sure this message is heard with plenty of trade union banners and placards on the action! I ..read more

Call to action for Unite members: the deadline for branches to submit motions to be debated at the July policy conference is 31st January. The recently formed Unite Grassroots Climate Justice Caucus is seeking to get the same motion submitted by as many branches as possible. These were chosen with the aims of keeping the motions simple and focusing on the top priorities that emerged during Caucus meetings. Caucus members are asked to choose one of these two motions.  Each Unite branch can submit one motion only (unfortunately Unite Community branches cannot submit motions, though in some ..read more

We have written, along with the Greener Jobs Alliance and the Climate Justice Coalition, to key public service unions striking for decent pay and conditions to express our solidarity. Many CACCTU supporters will have already expressed solidarity to local union branches in a similar way, if not, we encourage you to do. For more about encouraging climate activists to support the strikes, see here Below is our letter, in a general form which can be adapted for particular disputes. As trade unionists and activists campaigning on the climate crisis, the organisations represented in this letter wis ..read more

The scientists of the IPCC (the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) have just published their latest report, on the damage that climate breakdown is causing to humans and ecosystems. They warn that the time left to act is running out. There could hardly be a worse time for the messages in this report to catch public attention while all eys are on bombed Ukrainian cities and fleeing refugees. Even for those of us who think we have a good understanding of the dangers of climate change, this report is important, setting out starkly the peril we are in.  Antonio Guterres, UN Secre ..read more

The short answers to these questions are simple: in the face of escalating climate breakdown, COP26 did little to shift our trajectory away from catastrophe, away from business-as-usual and towards curbing fossil fuel use. Rich countries have refused to step up and meet their obligations to those who have least to cause the climate crisis. In the words of Greta Thunberg, more “blah, blah, blah”. And as for what comes next, of course we go on fighting to keep the chance of staying beneath 1.5C alive. The long version? After two weeks with a flurry of announcements, greenwash, struggles over s ..read more