Solidarity to all around the country and across the world remembering those who went to work and did not come home or are now suffering work related illness.
Last year, the theme for International Workers Memorial Day was the climate crisis and specifically climate risks for workers.
Tragically, over the past year, the continuing and now very real threat of climate change is barely anywhere to be heard.
And this isn’t just a Trumpian style erasure of the climate crisis.
The political weaponisation of climate and so-called net zero policy has seen a race to the bottom, despite gestures such as Ed Miliband’s call last week to ‘bring on the fight’. Instead of investing in the urgent action needed to reach the important 2030 carbon reduction targets, governments, including in the UK, are preparing for war and discovering a magic money tree for military spending while cutting investment on climate policy, real human and workers security.
As workers, trade unionists, members of our community we should all be deeply concerned.
Yet again, in 2024 – just as the year before, and every year in the past decade – records have been shattered.
There have been more extreme heatwaves, wildfires, flooding and storms, with drought and rising sea levels. Wildfires in the UK are already at a record high this year.
These are not just climate conditions; they are working and living conditions for workers and communities.
Climate change poses one of the greatest health, societal and economic challenges.
It stops workers from being able to work as schools, transport networks or factories are closed, and poor air quality threatens long-term health.
In places where wildfires are now the routine, firefighters are losing their lives in tackling the blazes. Workers are at risk from the smoke pollution or in case of flooding, water borne disease, with sewage water often escaping containment. Outdoor workers are facing a higher risk of cancer from exposure to solar UV radiation, said to have affected 1.6 billion workers in 2019.
In the UK, the impacts may still seem less urgent or prominent, but the risks to workers from the impacts of climate change are just as real.
The Interim Report of London Climate Resilience Review, an independent report commissioned by Mayor of London, published earlier this year, confirmed that London and the UK are underprepared for major climate impacts, with a “lethal risk” to the most vulnerable communities, and workers.
On the hottest days in 2022, the Office for National Statistics estimated that there were around 4,507 extra deaths as a result. They also noted that the mortality risk is 3 times higher in London for temperatures exceeding 29 degrees.
Of course we don’t know how many are workers but it’s clear there will be workers within these figures.
Heat, and extreme cold does not just impact outdoor workers in agriculture or constructions sites. Security Guards for example are often exposed on a daily basis to pollution and may be required to stand directly in the sun during the hottest parts of the day.
Transport and postal workers have to work in all extremes of weather.
Emergency services are at risk at both having to attend to the consequences of extreme weather events, whether dealing with floods or in healthcare. Adapting to climate change means these frontline workers having the resources they need to deal with climate impacts while also keeping themselves safe.
While we rightly fight for alternative workers plans to decarbonise the economy, we need to ensure that we have collective agreements in place to protect workers now.
National unions need to provide model agreements for all workers to pursue with their employers. They need to support members in a ‘right to refuse to undertake unsafe work’ and end the increasing precarity of work that makes people more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including losing their pay.
But we also need to press for legislation that protects workers from climate related risks.
Spain has introduced the concept of ‘climate leave days’ in the face of extreme weather – and it’s good to see Unite the Union has made a similar demand following the death of a member during Storm Ali in 2018 – and is addressing emerging climate related risks such as extreme heat and ultraviolet radiation, adaptation strategies for workplaces, and contingency plans for sectors. This is particularly true for those vulnerable to climate impacts, such as anyone employed in construction, agriculture, and transportation.
These measures are a step in the right direction to guarantee the safety and rights of workers and we should be fighting to replicate them here and ensure climate change is a priority in all labour policies for the protection of workers both now and in the future.
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