Unanimous support from Bristol Unison!
Sometimes pictures tell the story and there seems little need for words. Although this is one such picture I feel I must reflect on it a little. It was another important step towards encouraging Avon Pension Fund (APF) to divest from fossil fuels and support a transition to a low carbon economy. Many of Avon Pension fund members are also members of Unison, so winning their support felt like an important move.
This Unison branch meeting was held in the old library building in Old Market. Elaine, a Fossil Free Bristol member, who is a Unison staff rep had done the work behind the scenes to get us on the agenda. We had put together a motion calling on Unison to write to APF supporting our call for divestment from fossil fuels and investing more in a low carbon economy. Most importantly we had also asked for Unison to circulate a letter to their members requesting them to sign our divestment petition.
The meeting was well attended with over 20 Unison officials from council and the voluntary sector. There was some doubt at the start whether we would be quorate and able to pass the motions on the agenda but that was soon met as latecomers made up the numbers. I would like to think that our agenda item was responsible for the good turnout but I suspect that a discussion on The Trade Union bill might have been the draw. From the outset there was a warm friendly atmosphere to the meeting and as agenda items were promptly dispatched it soon became our turn to present our motion. We talked about the suffering that climate change would bring to some of the poorest workers in the world and the need for climate justice.
We also linked the issue to the individual level and I referred to being a grandfather and wanting a safe future for my grandchildren. We confirmed that fossil fuel companies have reserved far in excess of what can be used to stay within a 2 degree temperature rise and minimise damage to the environment. We described our conversations with APF stressing our concerns over a potential carbon bubble and summarised the motion that had been put before members.
One issue was raised about whether supporting our campaign could suggest that we agreed with all other APF investments, when there were probably a number of suspect ones. We agreed and talked about APF’s ESG policies and their preferences to work with corporations to bring about change rather than pure divestment.
When the motion was put to the meeting it was unanimously carried by the 13 people eligible to vote. The chair (Mark Hubbard – Support Hub Manager at VOSCUR) thanked us after the vote for bringing an interesting issue to the branch. He said it was great to get the links between union activism and wider social issues. The branch secretary (Steve Crawshaw) had previously commented to Elaine when she first approached him 'This is a great campaign and well done for getting it in front of the committee. Happy to put it on the agenda for the next branch committee’ so we realised that we had reached a receptive audience by approaching the union.
With the meeting finishing 10 minutes early there was time for a photo before people disappeared down the pub!
The following morning whilst setting out from home I exchanged greetings with a union member from last night’s meeting who was collecting my recycling. I was in my car so not able to speak but in that brief wave of an arm I felt a connection that went beyond words; an acknowledgement that what we are doing is important and other people going about their daily work agree. This is an issue that everyone could connect to if only we had the chance to present the case to them.
A big thank you must go to the Bristol Branch of Unison for giving us the time to do just that. With all the concerns that unions currently face with the upcoming Trade Union bill they still took the time to listen and and support our campaign. We are hopeful of speaking to more union branches in the Avon area and receiving an equally receptive response.
Richard Lawrence and Elaine Ashley
In other news...they're listening!
 |
| We're quietly very pleased |
We are very excited, and take this to be a clear sign that they are listening to us.
The meeting is on 13th August - watch this space!
| W |
| We're q |
When: 5pm, Tuesday 1st September
Where: Arts House Cafe, Stokes Croft (downstairs), 108A Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3RU
facebook: facebook.com/FossilFreeBristol
No comments:
Post a Comment