Statement attributable to Jo Schofield, National President of the United Workers Union:
United Workers Union stands in solidarity with the students fighting for action on the climate crisis.
Climate justice is an issue for our union because working people are bearing the brunt of the impacts of the climate emergency. In the last year, United Workers Union members have had to work through extreme heat, many have had their homes and communities impacted by devastating floods, while others are still waiting for relief payments so they can rebuild their lives after the catastrophic bushfires of 2019.
Climate justice is about creating a fair and just society for all workers. We need urgent government action and funding to transform our economy and create good, sustainable jobs.
The failure of the Morrison federal government to lead a response to the climate emergency has resulted in working people being left behind. It has resulted in a lost opportunity for our country to innovate and build the jobs that workers, the economy and the planet needs.
United Workers Union members working in oil refineries that are facing impending closures have been abandoned by the federal government and corporations alike. Members desperately need leadership from the federal government to create quality jobs in the renewable sector and fund training so they can transition to the clean, renewable energy jobs of the future.
Every day our union members take up the fight against injustice, inequality, corporate greed and power. This fight is no different. We will keep fighting to make sure that the voices of union members are elevated and heard.
The United Workers Union supports a just transition: one that delivers secure and sustainable jobs for working people, a transition that creates a more equal society and a transition that is fair for everyone.