Petition launched for 10,000 new green jobs in Sheffield

Campaigners have launched a petition calling on Sheffield Council to create 10,000 new green jobs in Sheffield within the next two years.
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Ruth Powell, of Green New Deal South Yorkshire, submitted the petition to the council earlier this month.

Days later Extinction Rebellion Sheffield’s Act Now Drama group performed outside the Town Hall calling for the same action with campaigners dressed as characters including those representing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Earth, a new green jobs superhero.

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In the petition statement campaigners said: “We are local people who care about our economic, climate and nature crises. We know that there are solutions readily available that can benefit all of society. We know there is a clear internationally recognised need for transformative change to start immediately.”

Campaigners outside the meeting.Campaigners outside the meeting.
Campaigners outside the meeting.

During Act Now’s performance, the green new jobs superhero came running onto the steps of the Town Hall to heroic theme tune music before shouting: “I have the solution. I know what will save us. Good green jobs.”

He added: “We can fight climate breakdown and unemployment at the same time. We need the government to stop investing in fossil fuels we need Sheffield City Council to start investing in good green jobs. We need Sheffield City Council to create 10,000 good green jobs.

“We need to rebuild our economy with more nurses, more green energy, more engineers, more builders – we need to transition away from fossil fuels to a cleaner, safer world.

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“Everybody has the right to a good job, a fair wage, a secure home and a healthy planet. We need good green jobs.”

Campaigners outside the meeting.Campaigners outside the meeting.
Campaigners outside the meeting.

Campaigners and spectators then started chanting “good green jobs”.

On the petition statement, campaigners listed how such jobs could be created and supported including: making new and existing buildings energy efficient; expanding and integrating low-fare public transport; enabling research, manufacture and installation of renewable energy including local energy generation; enabling a switch to local, ecological, nature friendly food production; ensuring that green jobs include low carbon jobs that sustain healthy, happy lives in health and social care, education, other public services; jobs that sustain life by growing food or enrich it by making art; offering free training programmes in green skills so people are ready for the opportunities; ensure that green jobs are jobs with decent pay and conditions; including sick pay, job security, training and career progression, holiday pay, unionisation and other non-pay entitlements.

Green New Deal for South Yorkshire launched a Green Jobs for All campaign in spring this year.

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They said around 10,000 green jobs in Sheffield – and more than 30,000 in across South Yorkshire – could replace those lost to Covid-19 in over two years.

Campaigners outside the meeting.Campaigners outside the meeting.
Campaigners outside the meeting.

They said this could grow to more than 23,000 new green jobs in Sheffield and around 66,500 in South Yorkshire over 10 years.

Act Now will be publicly campaigning on the issue again this Saturday on Fargate, in the city centre, between 12 and 1 pm.

The petition has 20 signatures so far. It will close on October 22 nd and can be found here https://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=10235&RPID=5903142&HPID=5903142