HISTORICAL LABOUR INFORMATION

Unions around the world have been at the forefront of the struggle for a cleaner environment for decades; whether we have acted in consultation or negotiations with employers, participating in Earth Day, or educating the membership on the impact of climate change. We believe there is a better way and a way that could ensure the creation of millions of jobs world wide. Capitalism has failed miserably and nowhere is it as obvious as when we look at the health of our planet.

COPENHAGEN

An international United Nations meeting will take place in Copenhagen in early December 2009. This is a follow up meeting to the Kyoto meeting in 1997. In Kyoto, world emissions reduction targets were set until 2012. One of the main focuses of the Copenhagen meeting will be to attempt to obtain agreements on targets for post-2012. Although Canada has signed onto the Kyoto protocol, we are nowhere close to meeting those targets. The Kyoto protocol seeks to bring back emission levels to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period between 2008-2012.

As a matter of fact, Canada has the worst record of all industrialized countries in the world. The tar sands initiative is one of the main causes of greenhouse gas emissions. All signs point to a continuation (if not expansion) of this environmental disaster. On the concluding day of the recent UN climate talks in Barcelona, Canada won the “Fossil of the Day” and the “Fossil of the Week” awards. The award is given by the Climate Action Network International (CAN International), a global coalition of over 450 leading non-government organizations who monitor progress at the UN talks, to the country judged to have made the worst input to the negotiations.

Canadian government representatives at these meetings have been obstructionist to say the least. Canada has taken the position that it cannot reduce our emissions as this would impact the tar sands output.

CANADIAN LABOUR MOVEMENT

Canadian unions will be sending a delegation of 20 participants to Copenhagen, lead by the Canadian Labour Congress. We will be applying pressure on governments to ensure the reduction of emissions is taken seriously, that transition programs are in place for workers who lose their jobs, and that sustainable energy of the future and natural resources are publicly owned and operated.

One of the main reasons we are in this mess is because of privatization. We have seen the energy sector and natural resources being deregulated and privatized; taking away the democratic control we once had. Governments may not be perfect but the fact that they are elected gives us the ability to force their hand on issues they are responsible for. The more privatization and deregulation becomes reality, the less democratic we become. Simply put, CEOs names are not on the election ballot. There is a direct link between the destruction of our planet and privatization. 

FOLLOW UP

A detailed report will be presented to the NEB and made available to the locals following our participation in this very important meeting.

THERE ARE NO JOBS ON A DEAD PLANET