Two-hundred miles Northeast of Aberdeen, rising above the North Sea, there’s a town called Bruce. Its people produce nearly five per cent of our domestic gas supply, an energy workhorse contributing heat, light, and security to our daily lives.
There are many towns like Bruce across our UK offshore sector. Their workers and employers are part of a 365 days a year operation contributing to three-quarters of existing energy demand and supporting 200,000 jobs directly and indirectly across the UK economy. By any standards, this is a workforce and industry that we cannot do without.
But with many operators facing the real prospect of a cliff-edge for investment, production and jobs as a consequence of flawed government policies in the weeks and months ahead, the real-world concerns of offshore workers articulated powerfully by those on the Bruce cannot be ignored in the corridors of power.
Their message is clear. The UK will need oil and gas in our future energy mix, the only question is where we will get it from? Do we produce more of it from homegrown places like Bruce – with all the employment, economic, and security advantages that brings – or do we increase dependency on imported supplies with their higher emissions in an increasingly volatile world?
These are questions government haven’t yet answered clearly or credibly. They deserve a fuller response because industry and independent reports suggests that fiscal plans for the offshore sector could see tens of thousands of job losses by 2030. Imagine the employment equivalent of a Grangemouth refinery closing nearly every week from 2025 to 2030. No one should leave that unchallenged.
We want the government to make a success of the transition, but that means doing change with workers and their industries, not to them.
Better cooperation between government, industry, and unions is essential. That is why the offshore sector and GMB have been working together for policies supporting greater prosperity and security through energy. The Bruce story brings this to life, giving a stronger voice to offshore workers and their onshore communities, from Donside and Merseyside to Teesside.
Their testimonies are showing what should be the way forward: A fairer fiscal regime for the sector which incentivises investment and jobs; domestic production for new and existing fields that will help deliver the oil and gas we still need; and done in a manner which is compatible with the country’s decarbonisation and climate objectives.
In the real world, this would represent a much better way of delivering on the government’s stated aims, including growth, rather than effectively offshoring jobs and importing virtue. Just ask the communities in Grangemouth and Port Talbot.
Watch the video here to hear directly from the workers of Bruce and their communities.
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