[NukeNet] Re Unions, nuclear power, etc

Tue Aug 22 10:43:54 CDT 2006

Sunday HeraldIn response to the recent posting about UK unions and nuclear
power plant development, I inquired of one of the Trades Union Council staff
(TUC - the UK equivalent of the AFL-CIO in the US) if he could sent some
information on unions and nuclear power to shed more light on what is going
on.  As in all hazardous and financially driven situations, there is a
mixture of ideas, directions, etc.   I've pasted below a link, two articles,
some intro info, and an outreach/course notice I received in reply.

It is no surprise that the information suggests that for unions it is all
about jobs, and it would be useful to keep in mind the need for green job
development.  The note below has a link to information on that issue.
Employment and local economic viability is certainly a major driving force
of community and political avoidance of requiring power plant disclosures
and accountability in many areas, even when serious contamination issues are
present.   The economic-health trade off in these areas is acutely
problematic.

Please also look at the notice at the end of this message regarding upcoming
TUC courses on sustainability, energy use, etc.   It will be interesting to
see how far the umbrella organization for the unions, which has been
progressive on most pollution and health hazards issues, is able to go in
discussing nuclear hazards and alternative energy sources.

Kathy

Kathleen Burns, Ph.D.
Sciencecorps
Lexington, Massachusetts

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The BNFL unions have always put the case that nuclear is part of a
sustainable energy programme, but the key issue has always been jobs.
Below is a July news release from white collar union Prospect, and below
that a 1 August nuke jobs plea from the general union GMB.   The unions are
very strong and in almost all respects very good in the nuclear plants. But
they will not in general take an anti-nuke stance… GMB many years ago
produced a groundbreaking “Green jobs” publication/strategy, so it is not
entirely clear cut.

 The Sellafield plant is in England, incidentally, although the news report
was in a Scottish newspaper. Scotland has its own nuke plants and identical
issues.   The unions are increasingly working on a green jobs agenda,
including a new TUC (our AFL-CIO) “Greenworkplaces” project, which will give
you good background and links.

 Greenworkplaces website:
http://www.tuc.org.uk/theme/index.cfm?theme=sustainableworkplace

____________________________________________________________________

 Professionals back green light for nuclear

11/07/2006

Professional workers in Britain’s nuclear industry welcomed the government’s
support for new nuclear generation as part of a balanced energy policy for
the UK.

On behalf of 15,000 nuclear scientists, engineers and managers, Prospect
General Secretary Paul Noon said: “The government has got it right on
nuclear power and is tackling the tough long-term issues on sustainable and
secure energy supply.

“Industry and householders have already seen energy prices skyrocket, and
worse is almost certain to come this winter. This is hitting UK
competitiveness and jobs as well as peoples' pockets. Urgent action is
needed now if we are to avoid electricity rationing in the longer term.

“Nuclear new-build, as well as action on renewables and energy saving, must
be part of the sustainable solution. It is a delusion to think that
renewables alone are the answer.

“But nuclear cannot be part of the mix unless the energy market is
structured to favour public interest and sustainable solutions over
short-term profit."

In particular, Noon warned that the government’s nuclear programme would
founder unless it took action on two fronts – skills shortages and finance.
On skills, Prospect has warned the government that there is already evidence
of skills shortages across the energy industry, including power generation,
nuclear and renewables. These will be made worse by the ageing profile of
the existing workforce.

“Demand for engineering skills is at a high level because of a number of
major infrastructure projects over the next decade. Government must act now
to develop the skills of the existing workforce and to attract new entrants
or nuclear new-build will never get off the drawing board.”

Noon also urged ministers to come up with proposals to give industry and the
City confidence that their money will not be wasted because of a change in
political direction.

“We need an independent energy agency at arms’ length from government to
provide a long-term framework for policy delivery. The agency’s job would be
to take decisions on the EU emissions scheme in the UK, to co-ordinate
finance for investment and to lay down clear guidelines on energy efficiency
and the mix of energy sources.” Noon hit back at critics who have accused
the government of conducting its review too fast. “The truth is that the
government conducted an in-depth review of energy policy only three years
ago. The issues have not changed but the urgency with which they need to be
addressed most certainly has. Britain cannot sit on the fence any longer.”

Prospect is the recognised trade union for 15,000 members working for
nuclear companies and public sector bodies, making it the largest union in
the nuclear industry. It has members at British Nuclear Fuels, British
Energy, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, NIREX, NNC, HSE’s Nuclear
Installations Inspectorate and the Ministry of Defence.

http://www.prospect.org.uk/news/newsstory.php?news=364

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GMB Members Bid For Nuclear Waste Storage Facility At Sellafield

The largest trade union at Sellafield the GMB believes that the Sellafield
site would be the best location to store the countries nuclear waste.

1 Aug 2006

GMB members working at Sellafield argue that they have the skills to safely
deal with the challenges of storing the waste and the project could bring
potential benefits to the local economy. GMB members believe that with the
proposed building of new reactors in Britain and the renaissance of the
nuclear industry globally Sellafield could be a global centre of "energy
excellence". However, GMB has called for the hard bargaining with the
government over whether the community accepts the underground nuclear waste
store. GMB believes that sighting the store at Sellafield will only be
acceptable if there is a long term viable nuclear industry in the area
including a reactor.

GMB representatives including Sellafield convenor Peter Kane met the Prime
Minister Tony Blair in June to discuss the future of Sellafield.

Gary Smith, GMB National Officer said, "When it comes to deciding where a
storage facility should be sited Sellafield has many merits not least
because of the quality, highly skilled workforce. This will be a
controversial debate and the community will only be convinced to store the
waste at Sellafield if there is a benefit to local people through providing
quality jobs and a sound economic future. Nobody will accept Sellafield as a
dumping ground and GMB will support the community in hard bargaining with
the government over the storage facility.

The nuclear industry has a big future globally and Sellafield could be at
the centre of it through further skills development, building on current
expertise and future research and development work. That means significant
investment and not just in the storage facilities but in the community too.

If Sellafield is to be a centre of excellence for the nuclear industry then
we should also be looking at sighting one of the proposed new reactors at
Sellafield. Reactors will bring quality skilled jobs for the long term."

-Ends-

Contact:Gary Smith, GMB National Officer on 07710 618909 or GMB National
Press Office: 020 8971 4209 or Rose Conroy on 07974 258123.

http://www.gmb.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=94294

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CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL WARMING AND ENVIRONMENTAL issues are becoming
increasingly important in the workplace. In recognition of this the TUC has
set up a number of short courses starting in September 2006.

This new TUC course is for workplace representatives (health and safety reps
and general shop stewards) interested in taking a wider view of their role
as environmental reps. And it is for unions across all sectors - including
power generation, energy supply (coal, oil, gas), renewable energy
operators, energy-intensive sectors such as iron and steel and cement, and
energy and resource-intensive sectors from retail and office to local
government and the wider public sector.Click here to view brochure

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