Metal unions come to agreement on climate change

THE AUSTRALIAN Workers Union (AWU) has announced the results from its participation in a global meeting on the steel industry and climate change.

On 4 November 2008, MetalWorker reported steel unions were headed to Tokyo, Japan, for a meeting on how emissions trading schemes would impact the industry.

According to the AWU, the Australian steel industry did not want to be compromised by “extreme green stances”. The meeting aimed to ensure steel plants across the globe are brought under the same environmental regulatory pressures.

The meeting in Tokyo was called by the International Metal Workers Federation Steel Action Group. It saw steel unions from Australia, Brazil, India, Russia, UK, USA and Japan meet on 5 and 6 November 2008.

The participants discussed how unions could contribute to an international strategy for the steel industry to tackle the global warming issue.

As a result of the meeting, the steel unions agreed to develop policy positions on climate change issues linking environmental and economic sustainability. The unions will also aim to ensure revenue generated by international trading, permit or carbon tax schemes would be used to benefit the worker in the affected industries.