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Becoming a greener union (2009)

Introduction

The Becoming a greener union ADC 2008 report brought together our body of policies on green issues that had been growing over several years. It set a challenging agenda: getting our own house in order as an employer; working with unions and other organisations to take forward our polices on climate change and energy; and supporting branches and activists in bargaining for greener workplaces.


This document reports on progress to date on the recommendations contained in the Becoming a greener union report, as well as providing an update on the campaigns outlined in that report and looking forward to further activity.


Motion A116 carried at ADC 2008 called for us to campaign against the building of a third runway at Heathrow and to support a domestic high speed rail network connecting with the European rail network; this adds transport to our existing body of policy on green/ sustainability issues.


It has been a busy and exciting year. PCS continues to be at the forefront of the union movement on green issues as our activity on rights for green reps, support for smallscale renewable energy and for key amendments to the historic Climate Change Act shows.


The union movement faces key challenges to its commitment to the green agenda. Government plans for a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent and for aviation expansion, while protecting jobs in the short-term, would seriously damage the prospect of the UK meeting the targets in the Climate Change Act of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.


The issues of skills needs, what is meant by a ‘green job’, how we achieve a ‘just transition’ to a low carbon economy that does not have detrimental impacts on working people, a ‘green new deal’ and how green industries and technologies can help to get us out of recession have become central topics for debate across the union movement as well as more widely among policymakers, politicians and campaign groups.


Chris Baugh
Assistant general secretary

Becoming a greener union 2008: progress on recommendations

PCS as an employer

1. Work with GMB to develop an environmental policy in line with PCS objectives. In progress/ongoing

2. Explore further measures to increase staff awareness and participation – such as more segregation of waste at source. In progress/ongoing.

3. Phase out all non-recyclable products within catering by 2011. In progress/ongoing.

4. Explore the purchase of renewable energy at the end of the current contract (September 2008). Completed

5. Replace bottled water, where still used, with cooled mains water. Completed

6. Carry out a travel survey to explore the scope for a green transport policy for both PCS business travel and personal transport. In progress/ongoing.

7. Review the paper used to print the majority of our publications (i.e. those with a print run greater than 25,000 and not at present printed on recycled) when print contracts are re-tendered at the end of 2008. Completed

8. Encourage staff to look at their carbon footprints to establish where improvements can be made and promote green issues among staff using the new intranet. In progress/ongoing.

Green workplaces

1. Pursue our green bargaining objectives through Cabinet Office/CCSU talks on sustainability. In progress/ongoing.

2. Carry out further research on government departments' sustainable development action plans (SDAPs) to assess the extent to which targets are being met. In respect of private sector employers, do a similar assessment of their sustainability/corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies. In progress/ongoing.

3. Produce guidance for negotiators on our bargaining aims on green/sustainable development issues. Completed.

4. Produce guidance for activists on the government's sustainability targets/sustainable development action planning. Completed.

5. Provide guidance/resources for activists - e.g. on environmental auditing, environmental management systems (EMS) and model agreements. Completed.

6. Campaign with other unions and the TUC to lobby government for statutory rights for environmental reps. In progress/ongoing.

7. Seek the support of the CCSU for a submission to the Cabinet Office for paid time off for environmental reps. In progress/ongoing.

8. Produce guidance for bargaining units. (sse 3. above). Completed.

9. Publicise and provide funding within education budgets for the TUC course and one day course being prepared. In progress/ongoing.

10. Explore funding options for short courses on climate change/green issues for members. In progress/ongoing.

11. Discuss with Organising & Learning department and London Metropolitan University academics assisting PCS in the review, how green issues are best integrated within the PCS education programme. In progress/ongoing.

12. Review our communications around green issues and report back to conference 2009. In progress/ongoing.

13. Promote the email list of green contacts. In progress/ongoing.

14. Promote green issues in national, group, regional and branch publications. In progress/ongoing.

15. Promote green issues on the re-launched PCS website. In progress/ongoing.

16. Enocurage the involvement of PCS members and activists in environmental campaign groups who share our aims (such as Greenpearce, Friends of the Earth). In progress/ongoing.

Green campaigns

1. Continue to campaign against the building of a new nuclear generation of nuclear power stations and to lobby government to increase investment in alternative green technologies. In progress/ongoing.

2. Continue to monitor progress of climate change legislation and to work with Friends of the Earth to lobby for amendments needed to make it more robust in line with ADC policy. In progress/ongoing.

PCS as an employer

As the Becoming a greener union report noted, taking measures to make PCS HQ and our regional offices greener, more sustainable workplaces is a key indicator of our commitment to these issues.

Following the series of recommendations in the report, PCS has set up a joint environment committee (JEC) with the staff union GMB to take forward these recommendations as well as further issues as they arise in the future.

The role of the JEC, as agreed at its initial meeting in January 2009, is to examine PCS's environmental practices and to devise benchmarks that can lead to good practice. The JEC plans to produce an annual environmental action plan.

PCS/GMB@PCS has followed the useful guidance in the TUC's Go Green at Work handbook in both setting up the JEC and agreeing a joint environment & climate change agreement.

The JEC jointly reports to the NEC via the greening the workplace task group and to the joint consultative committee.

The following measures were agreed at the first meeting of the JEC following the recommendations in the Becoming a greener union report.

Environment policy/joint environment and climate change agreement

A first draft of a PCS environment policy was considered; it was agreed that the PCS fair and ethnical trade purchasing policy published in 2005 should be updated to reflect the environmental policy. A joint environment & climate change agreement and agreed.

Staff awareness/participation

A network of GMB green reps has been set up and PCS management are considering facilities time. A launch event was considered and there are plans to  produce an annual environmental action plan by the end of 2009 outlining relevant agreements, policies and documenting work carried out by the JEC and achievements in regional offices.

Catering

Styrofoam cups and plates were phased out in 2008 and plastic cutlery is being phased out during 2009. Facilities management are looking at more sustainable solutions to drinks provision for staff/visitors. A cost feasibility exercise will be carried out into using stainless steel rather than aluminum/plastic serving trays.

Bottled water has been replaced with cooled mains water across the PCS estate with the exception of the Northern regional office (pending a proposed office move).

Explore purchase of renewable energy

A new electricity contract was secured in october 2008 with energy supplier Green Energy that provides 20% renewable and 80% combined heat and power (CHP) generated electricity. At the time of writing a retender exercise is being carried out to secure a longer term contract, ideally from 100 per cent renewable sources and using a supplier which does not use nuclear energy, providing the cost is not prohibitive.

Print contacts/use of paper

PCS retendered for all our print and distribution contracts at the end of 2008. As well as emphasising quality and value for money, green and ethnical considerations were also prioritised.

Since January 2009, the communications and campaigns department has aimed to print all materials, including magazines and campaign literature, on a minimum of Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited paper and, where possible, on recycled paper.

From March 2009 NEC papers will be printed on recycled paper produced from 100% post consumer waste paper with no bleaches or dyes added during production.

Circulars, branch briefings and internal printing uses FCS paper that is produced under ISO 14001 environmental standards. This paper is more cost effective than either virgin or recycled prodcucts. The FSC logo will be included on these publications.

Travel survey

A draft of a staff travel survey was considered at the initial JEC in January. The planned survey is intended to be available on-line in April 2009. The staff survey will then to be used as a template for surveying PCS reps travelling on PCS business.

Measuring carbon footprint

It was agreed that PCS should consider how we measure our collective carbon footprint as an organisation as well as encouraging staff to look at their individual carbon footprints through directing them to relevant websites.

Green workplaces

Rights for workplace environmental reps

At the Green Forum we held in December 2007 John McDonnell, chair of the PCS parliamentary group of MPs, proposed tabling a parliamentary amendment on rights for workplace environmental reps.

This followed growing pressure in parliamentary amendment on rights for workplace environment reps. This followed growing pressure in parliament on this issue with parliamentary early day motions (EDMs) tabled by both John McDonnell and Martin Salter MPs calling for statutory rights reps for environmental reps as well as supportive statements for Ministers.

John McDonnell MP subsequently tabled an amendment to the Employment Bill that was going through parliament last autumn (now Employment Act 2008) which sought to amend the Acas code of practice on time off for trade union duties and activities to give similar rights to workplace environmental reps as learing reps were accorded in 2002.

This would provide for time off for training and carrying out activities such as promoting green workplace initiatives, carrying out environmental audits and being consulted on workplace environmental policies/practices.

We wrote to all MPs and relevant party spokespersons as well as all unions asking them to support the amendment. A branch briefing was sent to all branches asking members to lobby their MP and a model letter was available on ther PCS website.

We received statements of support from NUT, the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, RMT, Connect, the Green Party (which carried a motion at its autumn 2008 conference calling for statutory rights for environmental reps) and Friends of the Earth.

Although the amendment wasn't taken to a vote it did help to further raise the profile of the issue in parliament and with minsters.

Speaking during the debate on the amendment tabled by John McDonnell in the House of Commons Employment Minister Pat McFadden said:

"I agree that environmental representatives are a valuable and relatively new development. Their emergency shows that unions are seeking to develop new services for their members, and trade unions have a valid and legitimate voice on this agenda.....My Department is producing a joint statement with the TUC and the CBI, which wll focus on the benefits that lay union representatives can being to the workforce...The issue in question is whether to place these reprsentatives on a statutory footing. Members may not be too surprised to learn that I believe it is premature to do so, but I welcome their development, and I encourage ACAS and environmental quality representatives to work on guidance in this area."

Added strength was given to this campaign by a motion, carried at TUC Congress 2008 and supported by a number of unions including PCS, that included calling on the government to give statutory rights to workplace environmental reps.

Following the House of Commons debate, a European Union written declaration (similar to a UK partliament early day motion) calling on governments and the European Commission to give legal recognition to workplace environmental representatives was tabled by UK Green Party MEPs.

We promoted the EU written declaration on the PCS website, with a model letter asking members to write to their MEP to encourage them to sign the written declaration and invited other union sto do so too. The written declaration, which lapsed at the end of January, received 106 signatures. While this shows significant support among MEPs it is not enough to secure the adoption of the written declaration.

Early in 2009 Acas conducted a consultation on the code of practice on time off for trade union duties and activities. PCS submitted a response in which we again pressed the case for rights to time off for training and to carry out duties and activities for workplace environmental reps. We also recommended that a draft guide to managing provisions for time off, training and facilities be amended to allow for consultations on environmental issues in the workplace and for existing provisions in the code of practice to be utilised to allow for time off to attend environmental courses.

PCS will be continuing to press the case for statutory rights for environmental reps both through the Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU)/Cabinet Office/OGC 'work & well-being' talks (see below) and alongside other TUC afiliated unions.

Government sustainability targets

As the Becoming a Greener Union report noted the annual Sustainable Development in Government reports produced by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) have been critical of government departments' progress in meeting sustainability tagets.

Since we published Becoming a Greener Union in spring 2008, two more reports have been produced by the SDC. The 2006/7 report found that some departments are still not on track to meet all their targets - particularly on carbon emissions - although government as a whole is "generally performing better this year than last year".

In particular the 2006/7 report noted that:

  • nearly two-thirds of departments were not on track to meet the target of a 12.5 per cent carbon reduction by 2010/11
  • although there was a 4 per cent reduction in carbon emissions this was largely due to improved performance of the MoD estate - and this was distorted by the fact that MoD still included data from a privataised part of its estate (QinetiQ)
  • although energy efficiency had improved, without the improvements made by MoD energy efficiency across the rest of the government estate had worsened by over 3 per cent
  • over 28.3 per cent of electricity was from renewable sources - much highter than the target of 10 per centre by 2008
  • 38.5 per cent of waste was recycled in 2006/7 - almost meeting the 2010 target of 40 per cent
  • there was limited progress towards the target for reducing water consumption but not enough to be on track to meet the target of 25 per cent by 2020
  • only a quarter of the government estate was covered by an environmental management system (EMS).

Preliminary results for the SDC's 2007/8 Sustainable Development in Government report (the full report with recommendations had not been published at the time of going to print) indicate that departmental performance is mixed with performance across government showing "overall progress". Government is "on track" or better in all the major target areas except carbon emissions from offices and combined heat and power (CHP) for energy supplies.

This is clearly a cause of concern given the legally blinding UK target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

House of Commons environmental audit committee inquiry 

In addition to the SDC reports, in spring 2008 the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) carried out an inquiry, to which PCS submitted evidence, on the sustainability of the government estate.

In July 2008, the EAC published a report, Making Government operations more sustainable, in which it stated: "Overall performance by Government departments and agencies in tackling carbon emissions has remained extremely poor with progress lagging behind the trajectory required to meet the 2010-11 target (reducing carbon emissions from Government Offices by 12.5% from 1999-2000 levels)".

The report called for central government to demonstrate leadership by making rapid progress and set out 26 recommendations on how this could be achieved. Recommendation 25 was that "OGC {the Office of Government Commerce} works with civil service unions to ensure staff are trained, motivated and empowered to take a leading role in mainstreaming sustainability in government operations".

Last autumn the government published a response to the EAC report, broadly accepting the committee's recommendations. In particular the government stated:

  • that it is reviewing the sustainable operations in goverment estate (SOGE) targets, last reviewed in June 2006.
  • that although it has a target to make the government estate carbon neutrial by 2012, it acknowledges that clarification is needed on the concept of 'carbon neutrality' and that DECC {Department for Energy and Climate Change} is leading work to define what it means. CESP {Centre of Expertise in Sustainable Procurement} will then work with them to review the 2012 carbon neutrality target.
  • in response to the EAC report rrecommendation that government, as far as possible, reduce its own emissions rather than relying on buying carbon offsets, government confirms that off-setting should be a lost resort.
  • that it accepts the recommendation that OGC work with civil service unions to address training and capacity issues, promoting general awareness of sustainability issues and ensuring staff are equipped with the skills and support they need.

We are continuing to monitor these reports and will include information from the SDC reports, by government department, in the negotiator's guide we are producing (see below). Updated information will also be posted on the website.

Cabinet Office/ OGC talks  

Following the House of Commons EAC report recommendation, talks began earlier this year, as part of the CCSU/Cabinet Office/Office of Government Commerce (OGC) 'work & wellbeing' negotiations, on sustainability in civil service departments, agencies and NDPBs.

Initial meetings were held with OGC chief sustainability officer William Jordon and his team to discuss how to progress the sustainability agenda across departments and ensure engagement with the unions. It was agreed to establish a sustainability sub-group comprising William Jordon, PCS assistnat general secretary Chris Baugh and representatives from Prospect and the Cabinet Office and OGC.

The first meeting of the sustainability sub-group took place in late January this year where terms of reference were agreed and the government's sustainability (SOGE) targets were discussed. It was agreed that AGS Chris Baugh and the representative from Prospect would be invited to the next meeting of the sustainability practitioners' group comprising officials from departments and agencies with a sustainability role. 

OGC also agreed to supply the unions with a list of key senior contacts in departments/agencies with whom departmental trade union sides could raise sustainability issues. The unions agreed to supply OGC with examples of good environmental practice that inlcude engagement with unions.

PCS and Prospect are meeting to discuss progress of the sustainability sub group and goverment sustainability (SOGE) targets and plan joint work.

At the first meeting in January it was noted that OGC would be producing a delivery plan update in mid June. The next sustainability sub group is scheduled for August. Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Commissioner Tess Gill will be invited to this meeting to speak on sustainable development action plans (SDAPs) and sustainability in the civil service.

The sustainability sub-group reports to the wider 'work and wellbeing' committee. The establishment of this forum means that we are now in a position to progress our bargaining agenda more formally. This will help us to monitor progress across government, develop best practice and promote the engagement of staff, including continuing to make the case for statutory rights for workplace environmental reps.

Commercial Sector

The Commercial Sector has been trying to establish key contacts within each employer with whom to raise enviromental and sustainability issues. Particular progress has been made in Fujitsu where senior reps and full time officials have met with the head of corporate responsibility to discuss how PCS and Fujitsu can work together on the green agenda. We are also trying to establish minumum standards across the IT sector.

The Commercial Sector has also been looking at the corporate social responsibility (CSR) statements of its various employers; work on this area is ongoing. However, what is clear is that although there is much written about CSR, what happens in practice is often considerably less.

The Commercial Sector has been encouraging groups to add environment and sustainability to their work agendas with some success in terms of improving and strengthening the green agenda in the workplace, but in a fast moving world more needs to be done. This will  be a growing bargaining issue in 2009 and beyond.

TUC GreenWorkplaces projects

The Carbon Trust funded TUC Green Workplaces projects (2006/7) two of which were workplaces where PCS organises - the British Museum and Defra (York) - resulted in three publications.

Both the How to 'green' your workplace guide and the more in-depth Go green at work handbook for reps/activists offer very useful guidance and the TUC's Green workplaces project 2006/7 objective and outcomes report disseminates good practice guidance on how carbon savings were achieved in the six demonstration projects. These publications can be downloaded from the green resources page or ordered from HQ.

A condition of the Carbon Trust funded 2006/7 GreenWorkplaces projects was that the TUC would continue to report on carbon reduction over a three-year period.

Earlier this year, the TUC invited the University of East Anglia's carbon reduction project (CRED) to undertake a project to monitor and report on the CO2 reduction achievements in its first round of GreenWorkplaces projects to 2009/10.

The project aims to develop a user-friendly carbon savings calculator, monitor and record actual CO2 savings in the GreenWorkplaces projects, and provide continuing support - including monitoring and reporting good practice, providing advice and identifying/meeting training needs - to ensure that projects achieve ongoing savings.

The TUC is seeking to obtain a reliable estimate of likely agregated CO2 savings from GreenWorkplaces projects on a national basis that can be used to estimate an average workplace carbon saving. We will disseminate the outcomes of these follow-up projects.

The South West TUC has, since 2008, been running a GreenWorkplaces project with funding from the South West Regional Development Agency. This project aims to "harness the reach of trade unions to change the way people work" and will focus largely on businesses in the private sector. One of the businesses involved in the project is Working Links where PCS has a network of reps, one of whom has been asked to champion the project in the region.

Negotiator's guide

One of the recommendations in the Becoming a Greener union report was that PCS should publish a negotiator's guide on green/sustainability issues incorporating guidance on the government's sustainability targets as well as good practice from the TUC's Green Workplaces projects. We are planning to publish this guide before ADC 2009.

Training

COIN courses. Last autumn we piloted two courses with the Climate Outreach Information Network (COIN)/Ruskin College - 'Climate Change Condensed' and 'How to Win the Climate Change Argument in a 15 minute Tea Break'. The courses were open to any trade union member.

This was the first time these courses had been run with an exclusive union audience and they were very well received. COIN has revised these courses taking into account feedback and we are planning to run further courses with them in Spring 2009.

PCS green taster course. The PCS greening the workplace task group, has proposed developing a taster course aimed at members new to activity and/or new to green workplace issues. This course is being developed and consideration is being given to the best way of delivery it.

TUC environment courses. The TUC continues to run a three-day 'Trade Unions and the Environment' course. This course is also available online. The TUC reports problems in recruiting for this course thought to be due to the difficulties activists have in getting time off.

Funding application to Defra

In December 2008 PCS was a partner with the Climate Outreach Information Network (COIN), the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the National Union of Teachers (NUT) in an initial bid to Defra's 'Greener Living Fund'.

The proposed project, 'Climate Solidarity', would involve setting up branch/wrokplace based action groups that would work collectively to reduce carbon emissions. The longer term aims of the project are to create a shift in thinking - away from the idea that climate change is just an issue for 'committed environmentalists' - and to build unions' capacity to communicate climate change issues effectively.

At the time of writing this project is one of 17 that have been short listed to submit a full application. The preparation for this will involve a survey and further research to gauge interests and areas where we might run the project (the funding is for two years). A final list of projects will be decided by Defra in April.

Communications/networking and support/branch activity

We are making use of the funtionality on the PCS website that was relaunched last year to encourage members to take part in our green campaigning activities (for example the use of model letters that can be sent to MPs/MEPs etc) as well as providing information, news updates and links to useful resources.

The green e-group list continues to grow and now has over 200 members (25 young members signed up at the young members' forum in January 2009).

We are making greater use of View, Activate and group journals to promote our activities/campaigns on green issues.

There has been an increase in requests from branches for materials for green events such as learning at work day and fairtrade events.

The greening the workplace task group is exploring how can involve more members in our activities around green issues, either by taking on the role of green rep or by becoming more active in this area. We are also consulting groups to find out more about the activities they are engaged in with a view to arranging a future national event.

Green campaigns

We have had a very busy year taking forward our policies on energy, climate change and transport.

Climate Change Act

Motion A50 (ADC 2006) instructs the NEC to lobby for new legislation to require the UK government to cut carbon dioxide every year by three per cent

"Hundreds of thousands of people across the UK who demanded a strong law have forced the government to listen and won a huge victory in the battle against climate change". Andy Atkins, executive director, Friends of the Earth.

In line with ADC policy, we supported Friends of the Earth's 'The Big Ask' campaign demanding a strong climate change law for the UK.

As the Climate Change Bill, introduced in the 2007, neared the end of its passage through parliament last autumn, PCS supported two key demands that Friends of the Earth and the Stop Climate Chaos coalition had been campaigning for: an 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 (the bill originally contained a 60 per cent target) and the inclusion of aviation and shipping emisisons in the legilsation.

Assistant general secretary Chris Baugh also co-signed a letter to the press on a further demand - that the vast majority of cuts to greenhouse gas emisisons should be made through action in the UK and not through buying international offset credits (ie buying credits from other countries in order to meet UK targets). 

By the time the bill received Royal Assent and became law at the end of November last year all three of these demands had been included in the world's first Climate Change Act. Stop Climate Chaos said PCS support for the campaign for a tough climate change law was "very valuable and helped achieved a fantastic result".

How to achieve the key target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 will now be determined by the Committee on Climate Change set up under the legislation. The government will clearly need to consider the climate impacts of all its policies and areas of activity - including government departments - and PCS is looking at how the existing government sustainability targets fit with the wider UK targets on greenhouse gas emissions.

No more nuclear power stations

Motion A50 (ADC 2006) instructs the NEC to oppose any governemnt proposals to build more nuclear power stations in the UK

Last year PCS supported a complaint filed by Greenpeace to the Market Research Standards Board (MSRB) that a second public consultation on nuclear power had been fixed by the government.

Following a year long investigation, the MSRB found in favour of Greenpeace in October 2008, claiming that the market research company that had carried out the polling, Opinion Leader Research, had breached the Market Research Standards code of conduct. Information was "inaccurately or misleadingly presented, or was imbalanced" which led to a risk "of respondents being led towards a particular answer", MSRB concluded.

PCS assistant general secretary Chris Baugh was quoted in the Greenpeace press release which followed the announcement, claiming that the government's attempt to fix the consultation so they could go ahead regardless of public opinion had "spectacularly backfired".

PCS had supported an earlier judicial review of the government's energy review, The Energy Challenge, successfully brought by Greenpeace in 2006 in on the grounds of failing to consult properly on plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations.

Despite the buy-out of British Energy by French energy group EDF last autumn, so paving the way for nuclear new build, the government has been warned by lawyers in leaked legal documents that it will be open to further legal challenges if it attempts to go ahead with its plans for a new generation of nuclear power stations.

We are continuing to monitor the situation in conjunction with Greenpeace.

Renewable energy

Motion A49 (ADC 2006) instructs the NEC to pressure government to pursue renewable energy as a legitimate option for UK's energy needs. Motion A50 (ADC 2006) instructs the NEC to campaing for increased investment in clean renewable technologies. 

"If we grasp the possibilities, then we're talking not just about a shift from non-renewable to renewable energy, but a shift in power and in democracy. The power shift at the heart of FITs is a transfer of power from corporations to citizens". Alan Simpson MP (and champion of feed-in tariffs).

In 2008, PCS joined a broad coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), unions and renewable energy organisations to support amendments to the Energy Bill to boost the production of renewable energy. The amendments aimed to introduce a premium rate (or' feed-in tariff') payable to households, communities and businesses that would provide incentives for the generation of small, community scale renewable energy.

The coalition, led by Friends of the Earth (FOE) and the Renewable Energy Association, was very successful in persuading the government, over the course of just a year, to move from hostility to the concept of a feed-in tariff to supporting the measure. Feed-in tariffs have helped to significantly increase the number of green jobs in other European countries, notably Germany.

As a result of this effective lobbying, the government committed to introducing a feed-in tariff in April 2010. The measure will also help to tackle fuel poverty by encouraging local authorities and social landlords to use renewable energy to make properties more energy efficient. FOE said that "the size, diversity and discipline of the coalition was a crucial  factor in winning the legislation".

PCS continues to be an active member of the coalition which has now set up working groups to consider the details of the scheme - such as the levels of the tariff, the user's perspective and a renewable heat incentive (as well as electricity) - to ensure it lives up to its potential.

PCS is also supporting FOE in demanding that the government's Renewable Energy Strategy, to be published in March, commits to delivering at least 15 per cent of UK energy from renewables by 2020. The UK needs skills and manufacturing capacity to address technological shortages and boost UK jobs and the enconomy as well as greater investment in research and development in emerging technologies.

Transport

a) congestion charging

Motion A64 (ADC 2007) expressed concern about congestion, pollution, traffice chaos, global warming and the rising costs of travel since deregulation and privatisation of public transport. The motion supports radical measures to combat these issues including: re-regulation of bus services so they can brought under the control of local authorities; public ownership of all forms of tranpsort; a fare-free public transport system as a means of combating poverty and pollution, with massive public investment in infrastructure and staffing; and to commission costings for a free public transport system across the UK.

PCS does not have policy specificially on congestion charging but we are guided by the conference motion cited above. A proposed congestion charging scheme in Greater Manchester was overwhelmingly rejected in a referendum last December.

A 'yes' note would have led to a grant form the governemnt's transport Innovatin Fund of £1.2bn. Had this scheme gone ahead this would have been the UK's biggest congestion charging area. The NEC agreed at its December meeting that in the event of a 'no' vote PCS should campaign for no strings investment in much needed improvements to public transport.

Since the December NEC it has been agreed that that this issue should fall within the remit of the greening the workplace task group which is now looking at how we take this forward working with campaign groups such as the Campaign for Better Transport.

b) Aviation

Motion A116 (2008) opposes the building of a new runway at Heathrow, agrees to campaign in opposition to its construction and for a domestic high speed train network with links to the European rail network and that the railways to be brought back into public ownership with affordably proced travel.

Last autumn PCS co-signed an open letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon, that appeared as a full-page advert in The Times on 14 October. This called for plans for the third runway at Heathrow to be scrapped. Other signatories included Unison, ASLEF, TSSA, RMT and Connect as well as NGOs and pressure groups opposed to airport expansion.

The letter was in response to an advert in the Guardian on 15 September sponsored by aviation lobby group 'Future Heathrow' that supports the plans for a third runway. This was signed by around 100 companies as well as GMB, Unite and the TUC.

Through the PCS website we also encouraged members to ask their MP to sign up to EDM 2344 tabled last October by John Grogan MP urging the government to rethink its plans for a third runway at Heathrow and to give full consideration to alternatives.

The government's announcement that it was supporting plans for a third runway, that had been expected last December, was made in January. PCS issued a press release condemning the plans on the day of the announcement (15 January) as well as contributing to a joint press rail with the rail unions, RMT and ASLEF.

We have encouraged members to sign a petition on the No 10 website opposing the plans and to write to those MPs who signed EDM 2344 to ask them to vote against the government in a House of Commons debate at the end of January, where the government narrowly won the vote on an opposition motion against the plans for a 3rd runway.

In February this year PCS submitted evidence to a House of Commons Transport Committee inquiry into the future of aviation where we argued that a third runway at Heathrow would have a devastating environmental impact and would mean that the UK would not be able to meet the legally binding targets enshrined in the Climate Change Act 2008.

Looking forward

We have taken significant steps forward in our work on green/sustainability issues over the last year as progress on the recommendations in the Becoming a greener union report shows.

The talks with Cabinet Office/OGC are to be welcomed as we now have an established forum through which to take forward our bargaining agenda. It is to PCS' credit that our green forum in December 2007 prompted John McDonnell, chair of our parliamentary group of MPs, to table a parliamentary amendment on workplace environmental reps.

There are many challenges in the year ahead,  not least the economic recession, but PCS will continue to argue the case for investment in green technologies, greener workplaces and statutory rights for environmental reps.

We are proposing that a commission should be set up comprised of scientists, evironmentalists and unions to consider, in depth, the green industries - such as energy efficiency measures and renewables - where public investment is urgently needed both to stimulate the economy and tackle the serious threats posed by climate chage.

Resources

Becoming a Greener Union, PCS annual delegate conference report 2008. This report, carried at ADC 2008, summarises our activities to date on three key strands of our work on green issues - PCS as a employer, bargaining for greener workplaces and wider campaigning - and makes a number of recommendations for further action.

Going green in the workplace with PCS - updated leaflet, first produced in 2007, that outlines PCS green campaigns and things members can do in the workplace.

How to green your workplace. Useful TUC guide based on lessons from the 2006/7 Carbon trust. TUC GreenWorkplaces projects.

TUC GreenWorkplaces Project 2006-7: Objectives and outcomes report. Report on GreenWorkplaces projects at British Museum, Defra, Corus, Friends provident, Scottish Power, and the TUC. The project focused on energy savings and was funded by the Carbon Trust.

Go Green at work - a handbook for union green reps. In depth TUC guide for trade unionists interested in getting actively involved in green issues in the workplace. It has lots of useful information as wll as resources such as a model agreement, tips on running green events and sample surveys.

These resources are available on the Green Workplaces pages. Printed copies are available from PCS HQ. We also have leaflets, posters and other materials on issues such as fairtrade, renewable energy, trade justice, and sweatshops. To order materials contact Anne Elliott-Day in organising & learning - annes@pcs.org.uk or call 020 7801 2727 x2362.

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