Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 21ST - 27TH SEPTEMBER 2018 | 19 Operations & Assets Operations & Assets will then be gradually returned to the main sewer network. Yorkshire Water project manager Dominic Cunney said: "With the lid now in place, the storage tank is one step closer to completion. Putting the lid on was a major undertaking, as each 'pizza slice' style section of it weighed around 10 tonnes and there were 30 different sections that required a giant crane to li it into place. Once the storage tank is com- pleted it will help protect homes on Atlee Drive from a one-in-30 years type storm event, which will significantly reduce the risk of flooding." If you have an asset or project you would like to see featured in this slot, please send pictures and details to: paulnewton@fav-house.com Opinion A climate policy that works for all The hot summer has given extra emphasis to policy discussion about a 'just transition' to a low‑carbon economy. T he 2015 Paris Agreement contained an explicit reference to the need for a just transition, and the Scottish government recently announced its inten- tion to establish a Just Transition Commission to advise on the shi to a low-carbon economy. As a union representing workers across the energy sector, we are clear that there is a process of industrial and social change that must be negotiated to maintain good quality, safe and fairly paid employment. Britain's coalfield communities, still among the most impoverished in the country, offer a stark reminder of the devastation that can be wrought when governments recklessly initiate economic upheaval with scant regard for the impact on workers and local communities. We can lay out a set of principles that would have to be met for a low-carbon transition to be truly "just": l Consultation, engagement and negotiation. Workers who are likely to be affected by decarbonisa- tion – for example in extractive and energy intensive industries – must be at the heart of discussions of how the transition should be managed. l A national skills strategy. The main impact will be on a skilled and experienced workforce. Retraining and other support will be essential, and it needs to happen in the context of a national skills strategy. l Support for communities in transition. Carbon- intensive industries are a critical part of the local economies in which they are embedded. The govern- ment is offering no concrete support to affected com- munities. This is unacceptable and must change. l A real green industrial strategy. The government has recently published industrial and clean growth strategies, but they lack a plan for implementation. Only the active intervention of government, working in partnership with workers and local communities, can shape a genuine green industrial strategy that actually delivers for everyone. l Good green jobs. Clean energy offers the promise of more high-quality jobs. But unionisation rates at companies working in renewables are low. It will be essential to ensure that new jobs offer secure, well- paid employment with good pensions and benefits. The best way to do that is to remove barriers to union growth and allow workers to be democratically repre- sented at work. The threat of climate change is a real and immediate one. To tackle it successfully we will need to work together in a collective and inclusive way to push for the necessary changes while ensuring no-one is le behind. Sue Ferns, senior deputy general secretary, Prospect

• Cover