Public Service Trade Union Responses to Climate Change (Jamaica)

The activities in the workshops will result in the following outcomes in the pilot countries:

• Maps of trade union intervention points;
• Increased member awareness on climate change and trade union role;
• Trade union climate change analysis and intervention “tool-kit”.

The Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO) has been active in local government and with community organisations in addressing climate change and dealing with its impact on workers and the communities that they serve. The union’s members are at the forefront of national, and in some cases, regional actions on climate change mitigation and adaptation. The union represents workers in local health and social care services, health education and promotion, fire, water as well as those who work in disaster preparedness. The Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) represents workers in the central government who are responsible for policy development and implementation on the environment and climate change. The experiences and engagement of these two affiliates on the issue re-emphasise the crucial role that the public sector plays in addressing climate change.

The discussions in the workshop will assist the affiliates in Jamaica to be more familiar with the national level commitments (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, as well as to develop tools to analyse these commitments and develop trade union responses. The work will also help to inform the actions and interventions made by affiliates in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Workshop documents:

• Draft agenda/programme
• Paris Agreement
• Registry of Nationally Determined Commitments
• Marrakech Action Proclamation for Our Climate and Sustainable Development
• Reference documents

For more information:

• See PSI's page on Climate change
• See PSI’s page on Emergencies and Disasters