The Council of Trade Union wants Thursday’s Budget to focus on the labour market with a major boost to both job creation and skills development.

The Government’s memorandum of agreement with the Green Party on home insulation and energy efficiency announced today offers the potential to retain and create jobs as well as make families healthier, said CTU Secretary Peter Conway.

The CTU welcomes the progress being made in Parliament on the emissions trading scheme.

The Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill as reported back from the Select Committee shows that a lot of effort has gone into consultation with stakeholders Council of Trade Unions Economist Peter Conway said today.

The Council of Trade Unions is calling on industry to be more constructive on climate change issues.

Climate change policy should be broad-based and not rely too substantially on market-based mechanisms such as emissions trading, the Council of Trade Unions said in its submission to Parliament.

“The union movement supports the ambitious reduction targets announced today because we agree that climate change is having a damaging effect on the planet and is harmful to workers and their families,” CTU president Ross Wilson said today.

“It is irresponsible for the climate change sceptics to suggest that there is no climate change threat,” CTU president Ross Wilson said today. “Its time they got real.”

 The Council of Trade Unions today released its statement on climate change.

Unions are pushing for more exemptions to the carbon tax to preserve jobs in key energy-intensive industries, Council of Trade Unions economist Peter Conway said today.