Next steps for transport workers on climate change

Trade unions are part of the solution to the climate crisis - that’s the overwhelming message for transport workers around the world as the threat of climate change continues to dominate headlines. 

Thousands of union activists were part of global actions last month related to the People’s Climate March in New York, amounting to the largest ever collective action on the issue.

Asbjørn Wahl of the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees who is also chair of both the ITF urban transport committee and climate change working group, has developed a trade union strategy on climate change based around ten key points which strongly link decent jobs and productive communities with a clean, safe environment. He said:

“The struggle against climate change is first and foremost a struggle for social power, a struggle on what kind of society we want. In the current situation, this means that the climate change struggle will have to be unified with the struggle against the effects of, and the driving forces behind, the economic crisis, the crisis of capitalism.

“In this social struggle, the trade union movement will have a major role to play, because of its strategic position in society. However, trade unions are on the defensive all over the world, and they are under immense pressure from strong economic forces. Therefore, for the trade union movement to be able to assume a leading role in the fight against climate change, it has to be revitalised, refocused and reactivated.”

View the full ten points and gives your comments and feedback on the ITF climate change blog.

Meanwhile affiliates have been feeding their opinions and ideas into how the ITF can strengthen and support their work on climate change. There’s been a high response rate to the recently launched ITF climate change survey that’s available in English, French and Spanish. If you haven’t already had your say, take the short survey now.