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Green Note
Trade Unions and the Green Party
The Green Party is an environmental party. It sees a world in environmental crisis, and especially climate change, as the major political issue facing us all today. The environment is not just another issue to be added to ordinary politics - humans are part of the environment, if it goes down the pan, we all go with it.
But the Green Party is not only an environmental party. It sees the main cause of environmental crisis as being the way businesses and governments treat everything on the planet (including human beings) as things to be exploited for profit.
All Green Party policies mean major changes in politics and economics. Anything less won't do. Piecemeal reforms may make things better for some people in some areas (often the richest people in the richest countries) It is far too easy for businesses to move themselves around the world where labour is cheaper and regulations on
workers' rights and pollution are weakest.
The TU group and the Green Party have supported unions in dispute such as the FBU, PCS and Unison. Our elected representatives have fought for workers' rights from local level to the European Parliament. Jean Lambert and Caroline Lucas, Green party MEPs, have campaigned against the anti-worker provisions of the European Services Directive , and for the reduction of working hours.
The Labour Party opposed the introduction of Thatcher's anti-union laws, but New Labour in government now enforces most of them. The Green Party has consistently opposed such laws and will seek their repeal at the earliest opportunity. The Green Party Trades Union Group is affiliated to the Campaign for the Repeal of the Anti- Trade Union laws .
The Green Party opposes privatisation and PFI schemes, campaigns for fair pay and decent conditions, opposes the sale/privatisation of council housing
and demands affordable social housing, and campaigns for investment in public transport within a publicly controlled, integrated transport system.
It supports public services such as health and education funded through taxation, with the well off paying their fair share, campaigns for fair trade, supports a basic income for the unwaged which would remove means testing, Job Centre bullying and pressure to take low paid jobs and encourages unorganised, temporary and migrant workers to join a union
GPTU
Summer 2008
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