Trade Unionists and Climate Campaigners Issue Urgent Call to Tackle Climate Misinformation and the Far Right
PRESS RELEASE
Brighton, UK – Tuesday 26th August 2025 — A coalition of trade unionists, climate justice groups, and grassroots organisers have issued an open letter urging the labour movement to confront the rising threat of climate misinformation and the resurgence of the far right in communities and workplaces across the UK. The coalition is organising the Workers’ Planet event in Brighton during TUC Congress, a one day festival of class politics, climate justice & radical solidarity.
The letter warns that far-right forces are exploiting economic insecurity and public confusion to pit environmental action against working-class interests. The open letter is published in the lead-up to Workers Planet, a major fringe event taking place on Sunday 7 September 2025 alongside the TUC Congress in Brighton.
Designed to bring together union members, climate activists, and community organisers, the event will feature panels, workshops, and cultural activities focused on climate justice, workers’ rights, and political strategy.
Among the groups supporting the letter and participating in the event are: PCS union, the Bakers Union (BAFWU), GMB for a Green New Deal, Unite Grassroot Climate Justice Caucus, Equity for a Green New Deal, Fuel Poverty Action, GND Rising, Workers For Energy For All, ACORN, Campaign Against Climate Change Trade union Group, the Worker Climate Project, he Green Party Trade Union Group and UNISON National Energy Branch
“The climate crisis is the greatest existential issue that humanity has ever faced,” said John Whitcher, one of the organisers of the upcoming Workers Planet event. “While too much of our movement looks inwards, ceding ground in much of the nation, the far right has been on the move. As the largest volunteer organisations of working-class people in the country, it is imperative that trade unions lead the fight.”
The letter sets out three urgent priorities for trade unions at all levels:
- Confront climate misinformation head-on – equipping reps and members with tools to challenge false narratives.
- Invest in accessible political education – especially for younger, precarious, and marginalised workers.
- Build a visible alternative to the far right – rooted in solidarity, justice, and climate action.
Organisers say the open letter is part of a growing movement within the labour movement to reclaim climate justice as a working-class issue, challenge regressive narratives, and resist the weaponisation of climate action by the far right.
For press enquiries, interviews, or to receive the full open letter text, contact:
📧aworkersplanet@gmail.com
📞 +44 7442 907963
🌐 https://workersplanet.org/
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- Workers Planet is a grassroots-led fringe festival taking place during the TUC Congress 2025 in Brighton.
- Full event details and ticket information available at: https://workersplanet.org/
- The open letter is signed by over a dozen organisations representing climate, labour, and social justice movements.
