Fate of North Sea workers 'hangs in the balance', as whole communities left 'without purpose'

Parliamentarians discussed the future of the North Sea on Wednesday

MPs have urged the UK government to do more for North Sea workers as part of the green transition.

Speaking during a Parliamentary debate on the issue on Wednesday, MPs from across the political divide expressed support for staff working in the North Sea, and insisted they must not be forgotten amid the shift to renewables.

An oil rig in the North Sea. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

SNP MP Kirsty Blackman, who led the debate, warned the UK government’s rhetoric wasn’t reassuring business, and that workers would leave the industry if more was not done.

She said: “As a result of political uncertainty, as a result of the current situation, as a result of the current direction of travel, we have got a real lack of confidence within the industry.

“We are at the point where we are at the risk of losing that significant edge we have in terms of the skills, in terms of the manufacturing capabilities, in terms of the people that we have. We are at risk of losing that if the government doesn’t take more action now to ensure that this transition is just and, more importantly, managed properly.

“Final investment decisions that are being taken by those oil and gas companies, or companies who are working specifically in renewables, those final investment decisions are being pushed back. Companies are feeling that the government is not going the right way.

“Whatever rhetoric the government is using around this, the industry does not quite believe that it’s got it right”

Ms Blackman also raised concerns about the age of workers. She said redundancies in the sector were deterring people from working in the industry.

“I am worried that the industry is ageing out,” she said. “People are looking at their cousin, dad or uncle who was made redundant and are going into engineering. If we don't have these young people who are excited and passionate about the future of renewables, we are not going to be able to build that amazing tech that we need.”

Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman also spoke in the debate, saying the fate of skilled workers "hangs in the balance" - none more so than those in Grangemouth.

Shadow energy minister Andrew Bowie warned failing to act could see whole communities left behind.

He said: “We all know or are related or perhaps both, to people who are employed at the minute in the oil and gas industry. Finding a solution to this, ensuring that this tradition is indeed [saved is] just is important.

“For the 200,000 employed in the oil and gas industry, the impacts of the transition in the North Sea will be very tangible indeed. As the decline accelerates, we risk seeing lost incomes and lost futures, and whole communities without a purpose.”

Energy minister Michael Shanks vowed not to leave workers behind.

He said: "The truth is we should have been planning for this transition a long time ago.

“There is no greater example of the failure to plan when we knew years ago that Grangemouth was in a precarious position. We should have been planning at that point for the workforce. My driving purpose in this role is to make sure we don’t make the same mistake again in the wider North Sea sector.”