Bryan HayUnite the Union has issued a strong critique of the Scottish government’s climate change policies following the announcement that the target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030 has been abandoned. This decision comes after failing to meet the annual emissions reduction target in eight of the last twelve years.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, expressed her concerns about the government’s approach: “The Scottish government ditching its emissions target is the latest setback in a growing list of failed green policies. The repeated inability to meet its own emissions and green jobs targets is inextricably linked. Government ministers need a reality check.”
Further criticism came in the wake of a survey conducted by Unite involving members at the Petroineos oil refinery, which revealed a significant lack of confidence in the “just transition” plans for oil and gas workers, with only 3% expressing confidence in these plans. Additionally, 88% felt that politicians were ‘not doing enough to support and protect jobs at Grangemouth’.
Derek Thomson, Unite Scottish secretary, highlighted the discrepancy between promises and reality in the job market: “Let’s remember that the Scottish government boasted that the offshore wind sector would create around 48,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2020. The latest figures estimate that only 6,200 people work directly in both the onshore and offshore wind sectors. Given this lamentable record it is hardly surprising that Scottish oil and gas workers have no faith in plans for a just transition for their jobs.”
