Union backlash over Labour’s plans to shut down the North Sea
Labour’s plans to ban new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea have been branded “dangerously premature and reckless” by its biggest union donor, Unite.
Union chiefs are pursuing a campaign against Sir Keir Starmer in six key Scottish constituencies, all of which are heavily reliant on the fossil fuel industry.
The rebellion could threaten Labour’s hopes of seizing the seats at the next election, as Unite seeks to mobilise local offshore workers and their communities.
Unite is demanding the Opposition ditch plans to abolish all new oil and gas exploration and boost the existing 75pc windfall tax on oil and gas producers by a further 3pc.
Without abandoning these policies, it has warned companies will exit the North Sea and destroy 30,000 jobs in the process.
It comes after US oil giant Chevron confirmed on Thursday it is quitting the North Sea after 55 years, as it claimed it was no longer viable to operate there.
Unite’s attack on Labour could serve as a significant blow to Sir Keir if it dents his party’s hopes of winning at least an extra 20 seats across Scotland.
It has targeted six key election constitutes as part of its campaign, including Aberdeenshire North and Moray, Aberdeen North, Alloa and Grangemouth, Bathgate and Linlithgow, Falkirk and Orkney and Shetland.
Sharon Graham, the union’s general secretary, said: “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.”
Sir Keir previously said his party would continue licences still in operation but would not grant new ones.
However, Unite said this policy was “dangerously premature and reckless”.
The so-called No Ban Without a Plan campaign comes as Labour drafts its election manifesto.
One of Unite’s key aims is to ensure the pledges made by the Opposition, such as to halt new drilling and raise the windfall tax, are not written into any formal election pledges.
It sets the stage for a major battle across Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which must approve the manifesto.
Unite has two delegates on the NEC, as does the GMB, the other main union for oil and gas workers. Both are threatening to undermine any manifesto embodying the pledges.
Speaking to the Press Association, shadow Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Labour had a “non-negotiable commitment to a proud future for the North Sea”.
Ms Graham 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. 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.”
