Fossil Free Gathering

 

There's just under a month to go until this year's Fossil Free Gathering taking place from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th September at the Ingestre Hall Arts Centre in Staffordshire.

Whether you're a divestment campaigning pro or a complete newbie - if you're keen to get involved...

Get your tickets now!

The Fossil Free Gathering is an annual training and networking event for individuals and groups demanding that our communities and institutions, like our local councils, cut ties with the fossil fuel industry.

There are a wide range of tickets available - including free solidarity tickets and support for travel costs if needed.

ENOUGH IS EHOUGH: MANCHESTER RALLY 30 AUGUST

 

UCU stands with CWU members and members of every trade union undertaking industrial action

 

CWU members at Royal Mail are going on strike demanding a dignified, proper pay rise. Over 115,000 posties will be going on strike which will make it the biggest industrial action of the summer so far.

UCU stands with CWU members and members of every trade union undertaking industrial action. We have created a poster for you to print off and stick in your window to show your support for your local postie. We are also calling on all our members to show their solidarity on social media using the hashtag #StandByYourPost.

An injury to one is an injury to all. Solidarity forever.

In solidarity

Simon Foster
UCU head of campaigns

Biomass & Drax Power Station - Trade Union briefing

 

Biomass & Drax Power Station - Trade Union briefing

Start: Wednesday, August 24, 2022• 6:30 PM • British Summer Time (GMT+01:00)

End: Wednesday, August 24, 2022• 8:00 PM • British Summer Time (GMT+01:00)

This is a virtual event

Host Contact Info: stopburningtreescoalition@gmail.com

https://actionnetwork.org/events/biomass-drax-power-station-trade-union-briefing-2

Did you know that Drax biomass power station in Yorkshire is the UK's single biggest carbon emitter yet is in receipt of millions of pounds of renewable energy subsidies?

Join our Trade Union Briefing on Wednesday 24th August 6.30-8pm to find out more and take action with us.

• The pellets Drax burns, despite its claims to the contrary are made from whole trees and are driving the clear cutting of forests in the Southern US, Canada and the Baltic states with impacts on biodiversity and the communities living nearby.

• The pellet mills which process the wood, mainly sited in poor communities of colour, are a source of pollution with negative impacts on the health of local inhabitants and workers.

• More recently Drax has also filed a planning application for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) at its plant (put very simply: burning wood and attempting to capture the associated carbon emitted) in an attempt to extend its receipt of government subsidies. This is greenwashing and must be objected.

Biofuelwatch, Stop Burning Trees coalition, Axe Drax are running this briefing for Trade Union members on Wednesday 24th August 6.30-8pm. It will:

• Give you key information about Drax and biomass and why we need alternatives

• Rebutt some of the job creation claims the company is using to greenwash their proposals

• Get resources and a model Trade Union motion to raise the issue with your Branch/Trades Council

• Take part in a live action and object to the BECCS application

• Hear about the forthcoming Day of Action in October

The briefing will last around 90 minutes and we hope you can join us

TSSA calls for public transport fares to be slashed – let’s all do the same!

 TSSA calls for public transport fares to be slashed – let’s all do the same!

Aug 4, 2022

By Paul Atkin

 

TSSA calls for public transport fares to be slashed – let’s all do the same!

In a sharply worded blog on the TSSA web site, General Secretary Manuel Cortes notes that we have to deal with 

two crises running in parallel – the climate … heating up at an unprecedented rate leading to increased extreme weather disasters and …an ever-deepening Tory cost of living crisis, inflation and costs are up, but wages are stagnant

 and calls for a sharp cut in public transport fares to reduce costs, fossil fuel use and pollution. 

He contrasts the miserable experience of the UK  with “the biggest increase to rail fares in nine years, ..set to go up further” – at a time when people won’t be able to afford to run their cars even if they want to – with imaginative and successful action to cut fares across Europe..

• In May Germany set up a €9 a month ticket for unlimited public transport over the summer. This has been… a huge success. Over 31 million tickets were sold and passenger numbers reached up to pre-pandemic levels, increasing rail travel and decreasing road use…The €9 ticket is a fraction of the normal cost of travel, amounting to around a sixth of the price of the cheapest monthly ticket available for Berlin’s central zones”.

• Austria launched its Klimaticket (climate ticket) in late 2021… to encourage people to ditch their cars, the scheme proved extremely popular, with its website almost crashing when the tickets went on sale. The annual pass, priced at €1,095, works out at just €21 a week or €3 a day.

• In July, Spain announced it will make public transport free, by reinvesting the funds from a windfall tax on energy companies. From September until the end of the year, passengers can ride commuter and medium-distance trains across the country totally free of charge.

• Luxembourg was the first country in Europe to make public transport free in 2020 and despite the pandemic is happy with the results. As well as off-setting price rises for working people, the move was also designed to reduce car congestion, as Luxembourg has more cars per person than any other country in Europe and is consequently plagued by heavy traffic. It is expected that public transport usage in Luxembourg will have increased by 20 percent by 2025.

The British model – that prioritises the profitability of private operators over the needs of travellers and climate – is unsustainable, both in costs for commuters and impact on carbon emissions. This also applies to buses. As Cortes says, 

Investing in our public transport is part of the solution to the problem, we are already in a crisis and we must act now. Making travel affordable is proven to take people out of their cars and onto greener, more efficient public transport. What are we waiting for?

Slashing public transport fares has to be a key demand in our fight over our cost of living this winter. Let’s make sure all our unions and campaigns take it up!

For more info heck out the Future of Rail; a TSSA project which makes the case for well funded public transport run by highly skilled workers for the benefit of the economy and the people. Follow on Twitter @FutureOfRail