The Green Party has passed a motion calling for the establishment of workplace environmental representatives with the same rights as other trade union representatives.
The motion, which was prioritised by the membership and passed overwhelmingly at conference, called for the representatives to have a decision-making role in the development and implementation of strategies to make workplaces greener and more sustainable.
Green Party MEP Jean Lambert, who proposed the motion, said:
“It is important we work with trade unions to improve environmental performances and make workplaces greener and it was heartening to see the membership of the party choose this as the most important policy at conference.
“In the European Parliament the Green Party has consistently and vociferously defended workers rights. We need to break the idea that Labour are any longer the natural party of the unions and make it clear that the Green Party are the people to defend workers against profiteering corporations and provide a safe and secure future.”
Sarah Pearce, from the TUC's Green Workplaces project, commented:
"The challenge of climate change requires major changes in the workplace. There is huge potential for trade union members to play a significant role as green representatives at work. This is already happening, as green workplace initiatives multiply, and the TUC continues to encourage and help develop this work. However, green reps need legal recognition and the right to undertake training and duties if they are to function effectively."
Newly elected Deputy Green Leader Adrian Ramsay added:
“This is an important proposal which should help enable the environmental and the workplace safety agendas to come together in a way that will be important for the lives and well-being of many thousands of workers for years to come.
“In Norwich, Green Party Councillors have worked with a number of different trades unions on different issues over the past couple of years, including supporting the recent strike by council employees.
“Most crucially, we are currently engaged in close discussions with the unions over the possibility of bringing a number of Council services back 'in-house' – that is to say, in reversing the privatisation of Council services carried out by a previous Labour administration at City Hall."