Greening trade unions

At the UN Climate Summit this week in Montreal, Trade Unions have come with a very large delegation from all over the world.

Our friend Lucien Royer from ICFTU has just circulated a Trade Union announcement issued in Montreal to promote public transports as a response to climate change. One of several Trade Union initiatives in support of the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.

For many years there has been a lot of incomprehension between workers and environmentalists, but the gap is resorbing quickly.

It is increasingly clear to everyone that without sustainability there cannot be sustainable jobs.

In other words, jobs cannot be protected if the environment is not protected.

Next month's Trade Unions Assembly on Labour and the Environment hosted by UNEP in Nairobi in partnership with the Sustainlabour Foundation will be an excellent opportunity to reinforce these linkages.