Ahead of the UK government’s spending review, several unions and 65 climate groups joined forces to seek £1.9 billion in emergency funding for North Sea workers.
The organization will hold a rally outside of Parliament in London this week, allowing Prime Minister Rachel Reeves to provide more support to oil and gas workers and move to green jobs.
Of the £1.9 billion, the coalition says £1.1 billion per year should be spent on the development of permanent local employment in public and community-owned manufacturing.
Refinery
Additionally, an additional £440 million of promoted investments will be handed over to the ports each year, with £355 million per year going to develop dedicated training funds for offshore oil and gas workers with matches from the industry.
The group also argued that oil and gas companies cannot consistently invest in renewable energy employment and retraining workers in order to prioritize shareholder interests and reduce offshore employment or offshore employment that should remain in the UK.
This is the recent unemployment at Scunthorpe Steel Factory in North Lincolnshire, Tata Steel Factory in Port Talbot, Wales, and Grangemouth Oil Refinery in Scotland, which has spurred national debates about the fair transition of the workforce and communities in the high-emissions sector.
Mel Evans, climate team leader at Greenpeace UK, said:
transition
“That’s why Rachel Reeves must commit to this emergency funding package to protect workers and their communities. If she fails to act, she will leave their livelihoods in the mercy of the greedy oil boss and undermine the community’s confidence in the transition to renewables.”
“We’re a great leader in the Union Campaign,” said Claire Peden, lead of the Union Campaign Team. “The UK government must provide a truly robust plan that ensures good and safe work for oil and gas workers as part of the energy transition.
“Climate change is an urgent crisis, but you should not be the one who is bruntled. A mere transition must be a worker transition. No one should leave behind.”
Ruby Isle, the platform’s worker transition lead, said: “Today, unions and climate activists are sending a clear message to the Prime Minister.
laborer
“We need urgent public investment to generate permanent, organized renewable energy jobs and support the country’s oil and gas workers. Multinational companies have led us to ransom for a long time.
“Now is the time to give workers and communities a real interest in the energy industry.”
In addition to Greenpeace, Unity and Platform, the coalition includes 65 climate groups including the National Railways and Maritime Transport Workers (RMT), Public and Commercial Services Coalition (PCS), Aberdeen’s Trade Union Council, Uplift, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Oil Changing International, and Extinguing Rebelion.
PA News Agency contacted the Ministry of Finance for comment.
This author
Rebecca Speare-Cole is a PA sustainability reporter.
