Skill up Green up! A conference for union and community organisations in London, southern and eastern regions
Unionlearn South Eastern Regional TUC conference
Saturday 12 March 2011
10:30am – 15:00pm
Congress House, Great Russell Street, London
What are the implications of climate change? For work? For jobs? For skills?
What does this mean for our way of life, trade unions and our communities?
What can trade unions and communities do?
This conference is for union activists and community organisations in London, southern and eastern regions who are interested in the skills implications of climate change and what it means for the workplace, communities, trade unions and economic recovery.
The conference will have a workshop based format and will take a practical approach to what trade unions and partner organisations can do to help address the biggest questions of our age.
To register for this FREE event, please contact Stuart Barber on sbarber@tuc.org.uk or 020 7467 1397.
Programme:
10:30 Registration
11:00 Opening session
11:15 Workshops session 1
12:45 Lunch
13:15 Workshops session 2
14:45 Closing Session
15:00 Ends
Workshop outlines:
The following workshops will be held from 11am to 12:30pm and repeated at 13:15pm to 14:45pm.
1.Getting to grips with the science and persuading others
Facilitator: Tim Baster (Climate Outreach and Information Network)
This workshop will help us get up to speed on the basics of climate change science and then through highly interactive and fun activities will explore the challenges of communicating on climate change issues. There will be lots of practical examples and exercises through how to raise the issue, how to tackle denial, how to respond to arguments like ‘it is nothing to do with me’ and ‘we can’t do anything’. The workshop finishes with a discussion on how we can take the key messages back to trade unions and into communities.
2. Getting started as a green rep: What has climate change got to do with unions?
Facilitators: Frances Robertson (South West TUC Green Workplaces Project) and Philip Pearson (Senior Policy Officer, TUC)
This workshop is aimed at activists new to greening their workplace. Working together, and in groups, we will explore the age old challenge: “What’s climate change got to do with unions?” This session will give us the chance to discuss what we think the role of a union green rep in a modern workplace could be and explore what union green reps need in order to be effective in their role.
3. Building participation in GreenWorkplaces
Facilitators: Sarah Pearce (GreenWorkplaces project leader, TUC), Sarah Lewis (UNISON branch secretary at Great Ormond Street Hospital, TUC Green Workplace)
Convincing employers to make any real change in their strategic thinking is possible only if union members and colleagues are supportive. Working together, and in groups, this workshop will explore ways to raise awareness of climate change issues at work and examine the barriers to employee active participation in greening the workplace initiatives. We will explore what could work to break down these barriers and how we can persuade management that unions have a role to play. This workshop is also an opportunity to find out how you can get active and join the TUC’s GreenWorkplaces Network.
4. Pressing for jobs and employability in the green economy
Chair: Graham Petersen (Universities and College Union Green Jobs Project)
Speaker: Hanna Thomas (Otesha Project, Tower Hamlets), Graham Petersen (Universities and College Union Green Jobs Project)
This workshop will explore emerging ideas and projects to skill workers and communities for jobs in the low carbon economy. Borrowing from the inspirational “Apollo movement” in California, this workshop will also explore how both campaigning and collaborative activity with a range of partners in the community could help to create training opportunities including apprenticeships in areas such as low carbon construction and retrofit programmes.
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