Green jobs deterioration represents an ‘appalling failure’, says TUC
The TUC last month described as “dreadful” new figures showing there were 11,100 fewer green jobs in the UK in 2018 compared to 2014. There was, however, some good news, with unions welcoming a commitment by the Scottish government to ensure more offshore wind contracts stay in Scotland.
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics estimates that there were 224,800 green jobs in the UK in 2018, compared to a total of 235,900 in 2014.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “This is a dreadful record. The climate emergency is a major threat to the living standards of British people.
“But we are making next to no progress transforming our economy to safeguard our future.”
Meanwhile, in an effort to boost local jobs, the Scottish government announced that offshore wind developers will have to sign up to supply-chain commitments when applying for leases.
Pat Rafferty and Gary Smith, Scottish secretaries of the Unite and GMB unions respectively, released a joint statement welcoming the news but calling for this to be just the start of change.
“The truth is it’s been a decade of failure for job creation in Scotland’s offshore wind sector,” they said, adding that without a detailed industrial plan, the green jobs revolution will continue to be delivered “anywhere but Scotland”.
https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/new-figures-show-dreadful-record-creation-green-jobs-says-tuc
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/16/uk-green-economy-has-shrunk-since-2014
www.stuc.org.uk/media-centre/news/1401/joint-union-scottish-offshore-wind-sector-summit-reaction