Scottish communities will be “devastated” if Labour pulls the plug on new oil and gas licences without a plan, the general secretary of one of the country’s largest trade unions has warned.
Unite the union has launched a major campaign warning North Sea workers will be “betrayed” if an estimated 30,000 jobs are pushed “over a cliff edge”.
Six key election constituencies, including Aberdeenshire North and Moray East; Grangemouth; and Orkney and Shetland; are the targets of the campaign due to their reliance on the sector.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer previously said his party would not grant licences in the North Sea but said it would continue with any licences already in operation.
But Unite, which is among the biggest financial contributors to the Labour party, has said the plans would be “dangerously premature and reckless”.
Shadow Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said his party had a “non-negotiable” commitment to the North Sea’s future.
Sharon Graham, the union’s general secretary, said as the campaign launched: “We don’t want the oil and gas workers in Scotland to become the coal miners of our generation.
“We’re clearly saying to Labour, ‘don’t let go of one rope before you get hold of another’. There’s a situation now where 30,000 oil and gas jobs will be going over a cliff edge by 2030.
“There must be a plan now to save these jobs. Communities will be devastated. It’s not just the oil and gas areas, it’s the surrounding areas too.”
The major No Ban Without a Plan campaign, which launches ahead of the general election, states 35,000 new energy transition jobs in wind power, hydrogen and carbon capture could be created by 2030.
It suggests building local manufacturing for wind power instead of relying on imports from other nations.
Ms Graham said the investment needed would amount to £1.1 billion each year for six years.
“We need to have energy security, Scotland is a key player in that. Why can’t we invest in Scotland? We could be the powerhouse of wind power,” she added.
“People in Scotland want Labour to pick up that mantle.”
“The question Labour have to ask themselves is, ‘what do the people in Scotland want?’ Voters are going to expect and offer that is Scotland-focused, and where better to start than oil and gas?”
“The licences give workers time to prepare. Not one single thing yet has been done on the transition from oil and gas to renewables.”
Writing in the P&J, Ms Graham also said: “Why would we pull the plug on new licences and new jobs when there is clearly no viable plan for the replacement of North Sea jobs right now.”
She said: “In the 1980s, the decimation of Britain’s coal mines shattered lives and destroyed communities, forever.
“If Labour fails to learn these lessons in the North Sea it will be a historic betrayal. Unite will not stand by and watch workers thrown on the scrap heap.”
Mr Miliband said: “Labour has a non-negotiable commitment to a proud future for the North Sea. We will deliver the most significant investment in the North Sea in a generation, as we pursue our mission for energy independence and lower bills.
“If the Conservatives in Westminster and the SNP in Holyrood are re-elected, they will continue to sell out workers and communities by leaving the industry without a plan for the future, as they have done for the last 14 years.
“We agree with anyone who says that there needs to be a comprehensive plan – and that is exactly what Labour will deliver with our world-leading agenda: Great British Energy; a National Wealth Fund; our British Jobs Bonus; and the New Deal for Working People.”
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