Just Transition Open Letter to Party Leaders

Over 60 leading climate organisations including Greenpeace UK, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Oxfam UK and Extinction Rebellion have signed an open letter calling for a “clear and funded” transition plan for workers and communities reliant on the oil and gas industry.

The letter, which was sent to all party leaders today, is based on a report created in consultation with workers in the offshore oil and gas industry and backed by leading trade unions including Unite the Union Scotland, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), and Unison Scotland.

Signatories are calling for: 

• A UK-wide industrial strategy, including substantial investment in domestic manufacturing and skills, expansion of publicly owned energy, and reorganising the tax system for public good.
• Expanding sectoral collective bargaining across the energy industry and supply chain.
• A Jobs Guarantee, that ensures every oil and gas worker can find equivalent, alternative employment or funded retraining

The letter also calls for a phase out of oil and gas in the North Sea as a “crucial step” to meet the UK’s legally binding climate commitments, address the UK’s historic role as a disproportionate producer of emissions, and prevent further devastating loss and damage which disproportionately affects the world’s poorest.