Green Representative

As a Community Green Representative, you will be an environmental champion at work and raise awareness of sustainability and decarbonisation. You will work closely with your branch and other Green Representatives to promote Community’s green policies and campaigns. With the UK on a path to net zero emissions, we want our members’ voices on the front line to help ensure the future of our workplaces and economy is just and in the interests of workers.

Responsibilities of a Community Green Representative include:

• Raising awareness of and promoting green workplace practices, such as reducing waste, recycling, saving energy and green purchasing.
• Liaising directly with your branch on sustainability and decarbonation issues that need to be raised at work.
• Promoting green union policy and green campaigns.
• Auditing the workplace and setting green targets.
• Monitoring your colleagues’ and employer’s attitudes and actions on green targets.
• Developing an environmental best practice and policy for the workplace.
• Networking with other Green Reps on environmental and decarbonisation issues.

What training is provided?

Community would never expect you to undertake this role without proper training. To ensure you are confident in your role as a Green Representative, our team offer in-person and virtual training on diverse topics to support you in your role. This includes, but is not limited to training on; your role and responsibilities, attitudes toward the environment and the trade union approach, mapping green workplace policies and practices, resolving environmental concerns at work, collective bargaining and negotiating on environmental issues and more.

If Community is recognised in your workplace, your workplace should offer facility time to cover your time training.

Visit our events calendar to register for upcoming training.

As a Representative, you also get access to our RepCentre – a central hub for all the resources and information you need as a Community Green Representative.

We recommend you take full advantage of our Representative training opportunities. If you have any queries, please contact us.

What are my rights?

Green Representatives do not currently have any legal rights in the UK. However, we are lobbying on this issue and calling for the statutory recognition of green reps, which would put them on par with Workplace Representatives, Health and Safety Representatives and Union Learning Representatives. We are also calling for Green Representatives to be included in the ACAS code of practice which will entitle them to paid time-off for training and duties.

In the meantime, we are working directly with employers to recognise the importance of having Green Representatives in the workplace and put voluntary agreements in place for paid time-off to conduct duties and undertake training.

Interested in becoming a Green Representative?

If you are interested in becoming a Community Green Representative, please speak with a Community Rep at your workplace if you have one, and they’ll able to explain what opportunities are available. Don’t have a Rep at work, or want further information? Contact your regional team today to see what opportunities are available.

Register your interest

If you have any queries about becoming a Community Green Representative, or the training involved, please contact us by completing this form or on 0800 389 6332.