Trade union blames government policy for latest jobs blow to the North Sea
Unite the union has blasted government policy for the latest jobs blow to the offshore sector as Harbour Energy announced plans to cut a further 250 jobs in Aberdeen.
Following discussions this morning with Harbour Energy, the UK's largest oil and gas producer, Unite said it is ‘crystal clear’ that government policy and the current regulatory framework is contributing to companies slashing jobs alongside the acceleration of oil and gas assets being decommissioned by operators.
Harbour Energy had previously announced the loss of 350 onshore jobs in 2023.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'The announcement by Harbour Energy that further jobs will be lost in Aberdeen is devastating news for the oil and gas sector. It’s crystal clear that UK government policy is driving oil and gas companies out of the North Sea. It is directly leading to thousands of jobs being axed and to decommissioning plans being accelerated years ahead of schedule.'
'Unite fears that the scale of the job losses in the years to come will run in to the tens of thousands unless the UK government changes direction and produces a concrete plan with real jobs for the transition of North Sea workers.'
Unite’s no ban without a plan campaign is demanding that Labour reverses its decision not to grant further licenses for oil and gas in the North Sea, until new jobs in net zero are created in sufficient numbers.
The union claims that the hostile regulatory environment created by the ban on new drilling licences is leading to oil and gas operators on the UK continental shelf accelerating decisions that are destructive to job security and UK energy security.
Unite’s lead officer for the offshore sector John Boland said: 'The news that even more jobs at Harbour Energy are to be axed is a crushing blow. This is on top of the jobs cut two years ago by the company. It’s a massive shock to the Aberdeen economy which is under immense pressure due to the scale of cuts across the North Sea. Thousands of jobs and skills are being needlessly lost.'
'Governments need realise that for any just transition to work it needs to be a managed transition that puts the workers at its the centre. The current political ideology of prematurely ending the oil and gas industry without any thought to the impact it has on workers is unforgivable.'
Source: Unite
