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Dead Constitution See other Dead Constitution Articles Title: Climate a worker's right Ewin Hannan | March 06, 2008 UNIONS plan to broaden their workplace rights agenda by pressuring employers to reduce the impact of climate change in individual workplaces across the nation. The ACTU executive yesterday endorsed a national strategy to have the climate change push incorporated into enterprise bargaining claims by unions. ACTU president Sharan Burrow told The Australian that there was "no question" that climate change would eventually become a standard clause in a union log of claims. But a senior union leader warned the ACTU against focusing on "social issues like climate change" at the expense of pressuring the Rudd Government into implementing more pro-union workplace laws. Brian Boyd, secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, said climate change and the union push for increased superannuation contributions were important, "but if we don't get the new laws worked out with the new Government then we won't be taken seriously by the employers or anyone else". "If we want to go after a decent super package, and a decent wages package, and other social issues like climate change, then we have to be able to get back in the ring with some reasonable IR laws, and we don't know what they're going to look like," he said. Union leaders meeting in Melbourne yesterday passed a climate change resolution - described as a "big step forward" by insiders - that calls on companies to identify and evaluate the risks and opportunities climate change presents. Companies need to develop plans to address climate changes, and unions should be "co-ordinating workplace campaigns including bargaining". An ACTU policy paper endorsed yesterday says union negotiators should ask "what is the employer doing about reducing their contribution to global warming?" "We are confident you can reduce energy and water use by enormous amounts just by looking at the nature of the work practice," Ms Burrow said. "We also think you can generate healthier workplaces ... and the nature of the working environment's design. We know that we have a long way to go by way of recycling and the products that are used can be examined for their energy efficiencies." Ms Burrow said the climate change strategy was "an extension of the workplace consultation role that we have always engaged in". Unions will convene a national summit on April 7 to progress the climate change agenda. Ms Burrow said the approach to climate change under the Howard government had been "schizophrenic". "The Business Council of Australia couldn't get beyond a policy of neutrality for many years because you had climate change sceptics led by and supported by John Howard," she said. "I think the business community now, particularly the larger corporate sector is actually aware that it has to look to the implications for its industry ... It's a big responsibility but we make a commitment that we will participate in that because it's everyone's responsibility." Responding to Mr Boyd's comments, Ms Burrow said the union push for workplace laws and climate change were not "mutually exclusive". Mr Boyd said the unions should be pushing the Government to water down its position on limiting industrial action, union right of entry to workplaces and industry-wide bargaining. "Just because the Government said it, doesn't mean we have to accept it," he said.
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