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Trade unions have always fought both for workers’ rights and for the changes needed to make society better. Now is our time to step up again - this time to protect the very conditions of life, and safety for our communities and the generations to come. The Trade Union Year of Climate Action is backed by the TUC and national unions (see below).
Take action in your workplace on Earth Day 22 April
Let's reclaim Earth Day from greenwash! In 1970 the first Earth Day took place with an estimated 20 million Americans participating in rallies, marches, and teach-ins responding to toxic pollution of their air, waters and land by corporations pursuing profit in the absence of environmental regulation. Then, as now, the worst exposed to these hazards were working class and non-white Americans. The largest source of funding for the first Earth Day was organised labour, in particular from the United Auto Workers (UAW) which also provided practical support for printing and telephone communications. The national organiser for Earth Day later said "Without the UAW, the first Earth Day would have likely flopped." More background - The Radical Roots of Earth Day
Posters
For your trade union noticeboards here's a poster (A4 pdf) and an editable poster (A4 Word Doc) which can be edited to include your own details.
Climate Quiz
Short quiz that can be used for stalls and at meetings. How much do you know about the climate crisis: how it's affecting us now, why it's a social justice issue and why drilling in the North Sea won't help our energy bills? Download as Word doc (space at the end if you want to edit to add your own union branch details). For a bit more background about the quiz answers the page here has links to further reading.
Flyers
Five things trade unionists need to know about the climate crisis
Trade union year of climate action
Workplace survey about climate action
For green reps and anyone else who'd like to find out about more about their fellow workers' concerns about climate change and where they'd like to take action, here is a survey template here (Word doc). We strongly suggest that you use this as a starting point that you can adapt to be appropriate for your own workplace and sector.
There's more about taking action focused on your workplace in the TUC toolkit: Greener Workplaces for a Just Transition
Events
14 March - Climate & Nature Education Festival - for a just transition - supported by NEU, UCU and Unison
28 March - Together against the far right - find out about the climate bloc on the march here
22 April - Earth Day - take action in your workplace
7 May - Elections! Flyers challenging Reform UK's climate denial
Get inspired
TUC hub: Year of Trade Union Climate Action
Video from our meeting on 21 October - 'Why the Climate Crisis is an International Working Class Issue: Building Global Solidarity' (with speakers from four continents)
Video and report from our meeting on 7 May, 'The Climate Crisis is a Working Class Issue: Building a Year of Trade Union Action'
Trade union motions supporting the year of action
In 2024, the TUC voted to back a Year of Trade Union Climate Action, engaging with community and climate justice groups, reiterated in Motion 75 in 2025.
The TUC Trades Councils conference has passed a motion asking all Trades Councils to coordinate and organise networks and actions in their area during the year of action.
Unison has passed a motion calling on the National Executive Council to bring climate issues to the forefront of the union’s activity including supporting the year of action (Composite E - link here to download text of motions)
UNISON year of green activity events calendar - and more Green Unison information here
Unite conference passed a motion on workers' health and safety in the face of extreme weather caused by climate change, including support for the year of action
Unite members can join the Unite Grassroots Climate Justice Caucus
From UCU: "At #UCU2025 we passed a vital motion backing a year of trade union climate action, starting autumn 2025. We’re embedding climate justice into our union work. Because climate justice is union business." (climate motions p12-13 here) UCU web page on the year of action
PCS conference has passed a motion instructing the NEC to bring climate issues to the forefront of the union's activity and to support a year of trade union climate action.
BFAWU Executive have agreed to actively support the year of climate action, in line with other motions and climate-related policy already passed, including support for Heat Strike campaign.
NEU conference has passed a climate motion including a commitment to support members in organising workplace events during the year of action (full text on p3 of the Greener Jobs Alliance newsletter)
NEU climate resources and events
NEU members can email neuclimatenetwork@gmail.com to join the NEU climate network
Putting climate at the heart of the trade union movement
All workers, their families and communities are at risk from extreme temperatures and weather events, and global food shortages. We also have essential knowledge about how to build a better, safer future: a public transport system accessible to all, training young people, protecting nature, growing food, and securing a just transition for workers in high carbon sectors, moving towards public ownership of key sectors like energy.
Those who are already losing lives and livelihoods to climate breakdown have done the least to cause the problem. In the UK, as elsewhere, the worst impacts will fall on the disabled, elderly and young, racialised people and those on the lowest incomes. We need to stand together in global solidarity with workers and communities around the world, while demanding climate solutions that help those most in need here in the UK.
We’ve seen the failures of relying on privatisation and market solutions. We need climate jobs; investment in renewable energy and home insulation as the only way to get energy bills down and keep them down; we need to move towards public ownership and democratic control of energy and other crucial services. What we don’t need is another decade of austerity.
The ultra-wealthy and corporate media claim to speak for working people but are only interested in lining their pockets. They want to scrap regulations that protect workers, keep our air and water clean and tackle climate change. We can only oppose them successfully by coming together and organising, within our workplaces, across sectors, and in communities, raising our voices to demand action.
With this year of action we hope to see a decisive shift away from the outdated idea that we must choose between jobs and protecting the climate, with an emphasis in the trade union movement on the climate crisis as a working class issue that affects us all, and the need for a just transformation of our society to tackle climate breakdown. We want to give confidence to trade union members to take action in their workplaces and their communities, and to strengthen links between trade unions and environmental and social justice campaigners - winning campaigns on local and national issues and extending global solidarity to workers around the world on the frontline of climate breakdown.