Change is desperately needed in our energy sector

The process made clear that oil and gas workers are ready to lead the transitionbut are caught in a trap of exploitation and fear created by the companies Their conditions are getting worse, even as energy prices and company profits hit record highs.

Change is desperately needed in our energy sector. A worker-led just transition that meets their demands would see money reinvested in communities through a sovereign wealth fund and the benefits of our energy system shared fairly. The UK is losing out on revenue that could support households and public services, while private oil and gas companies make huge profits and destroy our climate

The current energy system allowed just six global oil and gas firms to make almost $360 billion profit between them in 2022. Low taxation means companies in the UK take home the highest proportion of revenue of any country –the UK Government received less than a tenth of what the Norwegian Government took in taxes per barrel of oil in 2019

We know that oil and gas companies aren't serious about renewables as nearly three quarters of them don't invest anything in renewable energy production in the UK

But the workers, who are demanding fair pay and protections across the sector, were clear that we cannot model offshore wind in the broken image of the oil industry. This research highlighted how salary thresholds set by UK Government immigration rules have been waived for the offshore wind sector for the past 5 years On SSE’s Beatrice wind farm off the Scottish coast, for example, crew were paid less than £5 per hour while working 12 hour days, seven days a week.

Oliver, 42, Mud Engineer, offshore for 12 years: “The whole city is dependent on oil because there’s so many people attached to the industry. It’s noticeable in Aberdeen when there’s an oil price crash, everything’s a lot quieter, everyone is worried about their jobs, there’s not as much money about. I don’t think anyone really likes it, a lot of people who work in industry have been fed up with it for years.”

Mark, 44, Rigging Supervisor, offshore for more than 20 years: “When I was working on the River Tyne, I spoke to a guy who had worked in the oil and gas industry for 40 years. He asked me where I got my survival suit, because he wanted one for the winter. Not to go out anywhere or for work, but to sit inside at home. He couldn’t afford his gas and electric over the winter. To have someone who has worked their whole lives in the industry asking me a question like that, I felt like crying in front of the bloke.”

Workers also demanded an offshore training passport that recognises transferable skills between offshore wind and offshore oil and gas Currently many workers are having to pay from their own pocket and have to duplicate training courses because the two separate training bodies for each industry cannot reach agreement.

We heard how whistleblowing protections do not apply to self-employed workers, which make up a substantial proportion of an increasingly casualised offshore workforce, leaving many workers vulnerable to blacklisting and victimisation for speaking out.

What needs to happen?

We then commissioned experts to map out how to turn these demands into reality, what they would cost to implement and who has the power to deliver them

This shows that the Scottish Government needs to take responsibility for creating clear pathways out of high carbon jobs for workers, and ensure that there are plenty of local green jobs resulting from manufacturing the parts of renewable energy installations here in Scotland.

Scottish Ministers also have a really important role in urging their Westminster counterparts for enhanced rights for workers, a wage floor to prevent exploitation and better protection for whistleblowers. The Scottish Government should be making the case that the huge benefits of energy generation must be more evenly shared through a tax on excess profits and a sovereign wealth fund

Ryan, 40, Offshore Steward, offshore for 8 years: “There’s a culture of fear, people don’t generally speak up or confront anything or anyone. This obviously benefits management and the company as a whole because then they don’t have things tarnishing their reputation. If they can keep us in a state of fear the whole time, we’ll just suck it up and won’t put in grievances.”

As it stands, failure from politicians to properly plan and support the transition to renewables is leaving workers totally at the whim of oil and gas companies, and the planet to burn.

Workers are the people who have the best understanding of the challenges they face working offshore, and the barriers to an energy transition. We need to listen to them and ensure that their skills and experience are retained as we build a better energy system that works for people and the planet

We have produced a lengthy report that details this work, a campaign manual with more accessible explanations, as well as briefings on how to realise each demand

Read more about this work along with a short video hearing from workers at www.foe.scot/ourpower

Fear of blacklisting causes many workers not to speak out Names of contributors have been changed to protect their identities.