In November 2020, the Prime Minister set out his ten-point plan for a ‘green industrial revolution’ and alongside this the government created a new Green Jobs Taskforce, chaired by a government minister, charged with taking forward their ambition to create two million green jobs by 2030. Both of these developments represent a step in the right direction, and a recognition that securing net zero will require unprecedented government intervention and investment.

Also welcome is the fact that trade unions have been asked to join the 17-member taskforce, with Sue Ferns, Prospect Deputy General Secretary, joining me in this new role. We know a just transition will only be possible if workers get the chance to shape it at every level – in workplaces, at a sectoral level, and in Westminster and Whitehall.

So, our priority over the next six months will be making sure unions have the best possible opportunity to shape and influence the work of the Taskforce. Underpinning our efforts will be the just transition principles the TUC and our unions agreed back in 2019, and we’ll be looking to flesh these out with the real, practical experiences of unions at a workplace and sectoral level.

Our first priority is securing a just transition underpinned by good quality jobs. We’ll be making the case that every significant government investment in new green infrastructure needs to demonstrate it will deliver good quality, sustainable employment. And we’ll be pushing for these projects to be covered by framework agreements with unions negotiated for the London Olympics in 2012, so that decent pay, good working conditions and union engagement are the norm. We also want the government to take action to ensure that government investment benefits UK supply chains.

The second element of a just transition, and a key focus for our efforts in the taskforce, will be making sure the UK skills system is fit for purpose. We need investment in our Further Education system to ensure it can provide the support that workers will need as they reskill and upskill throughout their working lives. And government should take this opportunity to reverse its counter-productive decision to cut funding for the Union Learning Fund – a decision which risks damaging the incredible work that unions do on learning and skills which benefits over 200,000 workers a year.

A third priority for us will be making the case for workers – particularly those currently working in high carbon industries – to be at the heart of efforts to decarbonise our economy. We want large employers to be required to reach agreements with unions on how they will work towards net zero, and sectoral councils to coordinate transition plans across companies. And at a national level we want to see government bring together employers, unions, public bodies and skills providers into a new long-term body that will monitor job creation, job quality, skills delivery and diversity.

Lastly, we want the government to really raise its sights, and be more ambitious. The initiatives announced at the end of last year may be a step in the right direction, but in reality, they fall short of the transformational change we need to see if we are serious about net zero. In contrast to the £12 billion announced to take forward the PM’s ten-point plan, the TUC has called for £85 billion worth of investment over the next two years, in everything from high-speed broad band to low-carbon energy. It’s only that sort of level of ambition that will allow us to decarbonise our economy in a way that supports jobs and communities and to emerge from the economic shock of Covid-19.

This blog first appeared in the January / February 2021 newsletter of the Greener Jobs Alliance.