GMB warns MPs of oil and gas jobs calamity

Energy workers are being driven to a cliff-edge because of the rushed and needless rundown of oil and gas, GMB Scotland has warned MPs.

The union told the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee at Westminster that thousands of workers, offshore and in supply chains, have already lost their jobs while those remaining have no faith in the transition to renewables creating new opportunities.

Giving evidence to the committee, Claire Greer, GMB Scotland organiser in energy, said thousands of workers have already left the sector to work abroad or join nuclear construction projects in England.

She warned there is still no clear plan detailing how new, skilled jobs will be created in renewables as the UK Government and the Scottish Government refuse to commit to the future of oil and gas in the energy mix.

Greer said: “The message to workers remains confused and unclear. They do not see a clear route ahead at this moment.

“There is no transition, there are no other jobs for them to go to. There is only a cliff-edge.

“This transition is something that is happening to them not with them. The only thing they hear abouty is this rush to net zero, at the expense of all these people whose jobs rely on the North Sea, one way or another.

“Our concerns are about jobs, about infrastructure, about energy security, and about making sure the UK is self-sufficient in its own energy.

“To do that, the people who work in the North Sea, gas distribution, all across the UK energy sector understand what is happening.”

She said the skills and experience of workers in oil and gas, offshore and on, are transferable but “the jobs in renewables are not there. They do not exist for the number of people losing their jobs in the North Sea.”

Greer said the pace of redundancies in oil and gas is quickening month by month with the union involved in 28 redundancy consultation so far this year compared to 11 in the same period in 2025.

She warned official figures underestimate the crisis because for every worker recorded as being made redundant, another two, possibly employed on a casual basis or in supply chains, will also lose their jobs.

GMB Scotland also fears renewable operators are failing to engage with trade unions leading to poorer pay and conditions in the sector.

Greer said: “Firstly, are we going to replace the jobs being lost but, as importantly, will they be replaced with jobs offering comparable pay and conditions?

“If an industry's unionised, it has better pay, and better terms and conditions. The workplaces are organized, the health and safety is stronger.

“The few workers finding new jobs in renewables after leaving the North Sea are being asked to accept up to 30 per cent less in pay while conditions are being corroded across the board.

 “This is people's lives, it's people's livelihoods. It’s not just numbers on a piece of paper or a spreadsheet

“We have to look at how this is affecting the communities, workers, families, the whole country.”

Greer said the UK will need gas for decades to come but workers in gas distribution are among those seeking in vain for clarity, leadership and a plan from ministers.

She said: “Our gas distribution network is one of the best in the world, it's safe, it's reliable and transports energy across our country.

“Right now, our members in that industry don't see a future when the conversation is all around electrification and renewables. That is a conversation that does not include them.

“Our members don't feel supported or part of this transition. They certainly do not feel their skills and knowledge are being utilised or transferred into renewables.”

Greer, who was giving evidence at Westminster on a panel including Tessa Khan, chief executive of climate change campaigners Uplift and David Whitehouse, chief executive of Offshore Energies UK, said the refusal of the Scottish Government to sanction new nuclear development is a missed opportunity to create jobs, in construction and supply chains, and bolster energy security.

She said: “We have done some work on where our members in oil and gas are going when they leave and it is not renewables.

“They are going to nuclear construction sites in England, Hinkley Point for example, or they are going abroad.

“It is only an accident that those jobs are available at Hinkley Point because of the delays, caused by Covid and other factors.   

“If the build had been on scheduled, it would not have been an option. It would be an option if we had new nuclear in Scotland.”

ENDS