Unions call for more information

07/07/2008

Unite, the public services union, has called for union representatives to be allowed to see environmental impact information.

Its survey of 10,000 members revealed nearly all (83 per cent) believed their workplace wasted energy and 87 per cent thought unions should be involved in designing eco-measures.

"The commitment of industry to deal with climate change is growing in the UK," said Hilary Benn, secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs.

"Trade Unionists can really help change to happen in the workplace as part of the move to a lower carbon economy. I hope that this publication will be widely read and will raise awareness of climate change."

The study suggested employers should help reduce emissions when travelling to work, grant time off for their staff to learn about environmental issues and reduce executive's pay if they failed to meet targets.

Gordon Brown has recently launched the government's energy plan, calling it a "green revolution".

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