Ed Miliband’s plan to ban North Sea oil licences ‘could cost thousands of jobs’
Ed Miliband’s plan to ban new North Sea oil and gas licences could see thousands of energy workers losing their jobs and becoming the “miners of net zero”, a major union has claimed.
The Energy Secretary’s proposal to tackle climate change will face strenuous opposition at the Trades Union Congress next month, over fears it could put 200,000 jobs at risk.
The Unite union - one of the country’s largest - said the scheme could be as devastating as the closure of Britain’s pits in the 1980s and 1990s in the wake of the miners’ strike.
“We will not let them suffer the equivalent of the coal closures, which broke the back of mining towns across the UK,” they said.
In a motion to be debated at the TUC, the union said it was “dismayed” that the government had gone ahead with an “arbitrary target” to stop drilling in the North Sea, before any plan for jobs had been agreed.
The union, many of whose members work in the industry, said it was wrong to “abandon fossil fuels” until we know what will replace them, and how jobs can be protected.
Their motion said there should be no ban on new licenses for drilling until jobs are guaranteed for all North Sea workers.
Labour’s manifesto pledged that it would not grant any new licences to proposed oil and gas fields that have not already been given approval.
It will let existing oil rigs continue operating until the end of their lifespans, while upcoming projects given the green light will not be revoked.
The Unite motion states: “Congress notes that over 30,000 off-shore North Sea oil and gas jobs, plus seven to eight times that number in the supply chain, are under threat.
“Congress notes with dismay that the new government has adopted an unhelpful arbitrary target to stop drilling in the North Sea, before any plan for jobs has been agreed.
“Congress agrees that climate change poses a systemic risk to working class communities, but at a time of rising geopolitical tension, does not believe that we can abandon fossil fuels until we know how we will replace them, and how the jobs and communities from the North Sea fields will be protected.
“Therefore, Congress agrees to do everything in its power to prevent oil and gas workers becoming the miners of net zero. We will not let them suffer the equivalent of the coal closures, which broke the back of mining towns across the UK.”
In a list of demands, the motion seeks “no ban on new licenses for drilling [to be] introduced before a fully funded workers’ plan guaranteeing commensurate jobs for all North Sea workers, is agreed”.
The motion said this would cost £1.1 billion per year, “a fraction of the oil profits made in recent years”.
Tackling climate change
Another motion from the GMB union urges the government to consider the importance of the gas industry before taking steps on climate change.
It asks the TUC to agree that “gas remains vital to powering UK manufacturing, from food and beverages to steel, as well as 22 million home boilers”.
“Decarbonisation must be led by the workers, industries and communities involved,” the motion said.
It calls for “an industrial strategy policy that maximises our domestic energy strengths for national security, with all assets and options part of the solution: nuclear, renewables and oil and gas production”.
The motion demands backing for building the Sizewell C nuclear power station, as well as “working with the UK government on procurement policy which prioritises domestic supply chains, unionised jobs and workers’ voices”.
A Department for Energy Security & Net Zero spokesman said: “The Government has a non-negotiable commitment to securing a proud future for the North Sea.
“This includes setting up Great British Energy, a publicly owned energy company headquartered in Scotland, which will invest in technologies that will make us a world-leader in industries that use the expertise of North Sea workers such as floating offshore wind and carbon capture and storage.”