UK Unions Call for Energy to be Returned to Public Ownership
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1485 .... September 21, 2017
_______________________________________________________
UK Unions Call for Energy to be Returned to Public Ownership
Trade Unions for Energy Democracy
The annual congress of the UK Trades Union Congress (TUC) has passed a historic composite resolution on climate change that supports the energy sector being returned to public ownership and democratic control.
The resolution -- carried unanimously -- calls upon the 5.7-million-member national federation to work with the Labour Party to achieve this goal, as well as to: implement a mass program for energy conservation and efficiency; lobby for the establishment of a "just transition" strategy for affected workers; and, investigate the long-term risks to pension funds from investments in fossil fuels.
The Labour Party’s 2017 election manifesto, For the Many, Not the Few, pointed to the... failures of electricity privatization, energy poverty, the need to honor the UK’s climate commitments, and to put the UK on course for 60% of its energy to be met by zero carbon or renewable sources by 2030.
The Manifesto also committed to "take energy back into public ownership to deliver renewable energy, affordability for consumers, and democratic control." It calls for the creation of "publicly owned, locally accountable energy companies and co-operatives to rival existing private energy suppliers."
