'Industrial catastrophe' warning as unions rally against North Sea oil and gas decline as green jobs lost
Trade unions have warned green jobs are being lost while workers from oil and gas industries are also declining.
The rushed rundown of oil and gas production risks a jobs calamity and an “industrial catastrophe” and should be paused, the GMB union has warned.
GMB Scotland, which represents workers across oil, gas, nuclear and renewables sectors, has called for North Sea production and supply chains to be protected while a secure mix of energy sources is built up.
Meanwhile, a new report from the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) highlights the state of the green energy sector and reveals that 1,100 jobs have been lost in Scotland, alongside a record high trade deficit of £569 million, with concerns raised over a failure to ensure renewable energy manufacturing jobs are not lost overseas.
The warning of “industrial catastrophe” from GMB and the STUC analysis of Scotland’s green energy sector comes after Labour UK Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, argued this week that “the era of fossil fuel security is over”, adding that “the era of clean energy security must come of age”.
Tom Carr-Pollock, a GMB delegate, said: “We have wasted years listening to the empty promises of politicians while our oil and gas industries have been driven to the brink.
“The rushed and unplanned rundown of North Sea production has already cost thousands of jobs, offshore and on, and the ongoing failure to protect those jobs while creating new opportunities is abject.
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“We hear the rhetoric of a just transition but see the reality with every contract sent abroad and every skilled job needlessly lost.”
Mr Carr-Pollock claimed the oil and gas sector was being needlessly driven to a cliff edge and accused the SNP government of mixed messages over the sector.
He said: “The need for energy security and affordable bills has never been greater. Building that security on a mix of energy sources is the only credible response for our country.
“The UK can, and must, continue producing oil and gas while urgently building renewables capacity and infrastructure.
“We must create new jobs in green energy and technologies while continuing to stabilise the oil and gas sector and protect highly-skilled, well-paid jobs the length and breadth of Scotland.
“To continue to rush towards net zero without a plan and whatever the cost is folly. The cost in terms of jobs and the communities relying on them has already been devastating and threatens an industrial catastrophe.”
The warning comes as analysis from the STUC shows 1,100 jobs have been lost in the low carbon and renewable energy economy (LCREE).
The report outlines a record high trade deficit of £569m, demonstrating a failure to capture the crucial manufacturing work from the build out of renewables domestically in Scotland.
STUC general secretary, Roz Foyer, has warned the UK and Scottish governments their “directionless” approach to industrial strategy must end or they will “continue to let Scotland’s workers down.”
She said: “These jobs losses are deplorable and it’s entirely indicative of both the Scottish and UK Government’s utterly directionless approach to industrial strategy.”Scotland’s renewables are being built on imported goods. Multinationals and private investors are all looking to get their share of our resources while our domestic manufacturers struggle to win contracts.
“We can see what the business-as-usual market-led model delivers. We should be taking real equity stakes in our industrial base, strengthening our domestic supply chains and boosting jobs and skills at home with trade union set terms and conditions.“
“Anything less will continue to let Scotland’s workers down and the communities that uphold them.”
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