Member-only story
In terms of developing public policy, one of the most important debates at GMB Congress is the Energy Industry debate, since the GMB is the most significant Union in the energy supply businesses. It also has a reputation of being cautious about the proposed Green New Deal, although it may just be that it promotes ‘Just Transition’ as an issue to be addressed more forcefully than others.
The debagte, like all the others, is on Youtube and focuses on two composite motions, one calling for continued investment in Sizewell C and the nuclear industry as the only reliable zero-carbon generator source, and the other calling on an acceleration of the use and creation of Hydrogen. The latter motion makes the point that with Tories (& New Labour) globalisation strategy, capability and jobs in the renewable sector are often offshored. It does not call for the reopening of the gas storage facilities closed by the privatised gas industry which it should because electricity cannot be stored at scale, gas can be if you have the storage capacity. Much of what it says in the Gas motion would make more sense in the context of a nationalisation or at least a mandatory national plan. The motions calling for nationalisation were marked existing policy and so not scheduled for debate.
The CEC qualified its support on three of the motions stating that it could not support words that suggested…
