Sustainable Transport and the Environment Guide - Unite the Union

Ideally it would be achieved at both levels but we don’t need to wait for one to
achieve the other. 10 .
In terms of the impact that the transport sector has on climate change, different figures
are used – for example you will often see figures quoted which only take account of
domestic, not international, transport emissions (as international CO2 emissions are
not currently regulated). This can make it look as though transport plays a smaller
role than it actually does, in generating the CO2 emissions that cause climate change.
The government has said that international transport emissions will be regulated in
the future as clearly they also contribute to climate change.
Trade union members can elect union environmental reps to begin to ask the
questions about resource use, impact, and sustainable working practices, and then
collectively bargain around this.
There are examples of collective bargaining around environmental concerns given
elsewhere in this report – for example, the truckers and California dock workers who
have negotiated ‘green contracts’ in the US, and calls for improved public transport,
reduced reliance on overtime/shift work and just in time working, as well as for
greener travel plans for all workers.
For suggestions on practical workplace based actions that trade union reps can take,
Appendix 3 provides a starting point and there are also examples in the Unite booklet
‘Climate change’. What other bargaining materials would help – a model agreement
on the environment, for example?
Union reps may find that negotiating with employers for investment in green
improvements to the fleet and infrastructure, and for low-cost or no-cost moves to
more energy efficient working practices, can also lead to increased job security in two
ways. Firstly, such investment signals long-term commitment by employers to the
service. Secondly, saving fuel will obviously save money in the medium or even
short term, so this can be used to boost job security and/or wages, with any savings
negotiated to be ploughed back into the company or into wage packets. Indeed many
employers will already be considering ways of saving fuel already, so it is crucial that
Unite reps are able to be fully involved in these discussions, to ensure such changes
are implemented in a way that benefits workers, and are never used against them.
Modal shift towards lower carbon travel
Unite has long supported a shift in transportation modes, reducing the reliance on cars
and lorries and increasing the use of buses, trams and light rail and taxis in urban or
sub-urban areas, and railways and coaches between cities.
Such a policy would bring associated shifts in employment. It could ultimately lead
to fewer or different types of, jobs in car and lorry manufacturing, a shift towards
manufacturing of buses, trams and trains and away from private vehicles and planes,
and fewer jobs in fuel refining and in fuel distribution. There would be more jobs in
driving and operating public transport, in the manufacture of low carbon vehicles such
10 For more on the role of Green Reps see the TUC’s publication ‘Go Green At Work’ (2008)
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