Hopes and hard lessons for the next decade of Scottish offshore wind
Excitement in the supply chain for the ScotWind offshore leasing round is tinged with tough lessons from Scotland’s recent past on offshore wind.
GMB Union
Workers threaten strikes at Dales Engineering Services
Dozens of workers at north-east machining and fabrication firm Dales Engineering Services have threatened strike action amid a pay dispute.
Scottish greenports will ‘level playing field’ with England on offshore wind work – Cromarty Firth boss
Creation of “greenports” will let Scotland compete with England for offshore wind manufacturing work, according to a Cromarty Firth boss.
Centrica CEO was sent ‘package of excrement’ in British Gas row
Chris O'Shea, the CEO of British Gas owner Centrica, has said his family was sent a package of excrement amid a bitter engineers' dispute.
‘World’s largest’ floating wind farm off Aberdeenshire delayed over Covid-19
Plans for the “world’s largest” floating wind project off the coast of Aberdeenshire have been delayed for more than six months due to the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown, bosses have confirmed.
Trade union accuses Scottish Government of ‘surrendering’ fight for offshore wind jobs
A Scottish trade union boss has accused Holyrood of “surrendering” in its fight to win local renewables jobs from big North Sea offshore wind projects.
Union big guns call for UK Chancellor to form hydrogen strategy
The UK’s biggest trade unions have called for UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to formulate a hydrogen power strategy and create a ‘green jobs boom’.
‘Heartbreak’ as new figures suggest North Sea job cuts rising faster than expected
More than 4,500 “heartbreaking” North Sea job losses have already taken place in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and oil price rout, it is understood.
Big wind deals elusive due to BiFab owners ‘not putting a penny’ into Scottish yards
Troubled Scottish manufacturer Burntisland Fabrication (BiFab) is understood to be missing out on big wind farm contracts due to chronic under investment in its yards by Canadian owners.
Bilfinger UK confirms more than 150 furloughed workers face redundancy
More than 150 workers at Bilfinger UK could face the axe as the company confirmed it has begun redundancy consultation for staff currently on the Covid-19 furlough scheme.
Up to 30k oil jobs could be lost as Covid-19 energy sector impact deepens, OGUK report warns
Up to 30,000 oil jobs are predicted to go, along with billions of pounds in investment, due to Covid-19 and a 20-year low in oil prices.
Ad hoc oil workers ‘months away from losing everything’ after missing out on furlough scheme
A trio of offshore unions are in disagreement with Petrofac after workers were left without answers on being granted the government’s coronavirus furlough scheme.
Temperature checks and social distancing ‘do work’ for North Sea helicopter travel, OGUK director claims
Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) has insisted temperature checks and social distancing “do work” as a Covid-19 safety measure for offshore helicopter flights, despite concerns from workers and unions over the practices.
Offshore unions call for OGUK to use hotel rooms to isolate suspected Covid-19 cases
Hotel rooms should be used to isolate suspected coronavirus infected workers returning from offshore platforms, according to Scottish trade unions.
North Sea oil and gas ‘must be part of economic response’ after Covid-19 outbreak, union warns
North Sea oil and gas “must be part of the response” to Scotland’s economic woes once a solution to the coronavirus outbreak has been found, a trade union has said.
Workforce to be reduced by ‘more than half’ at EDF Hinkley nuclear plant
The workforce constructing the new Hinkley nuclear power station is to be reduced by more than half to around 2,000 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Smaller oil and gas firms ‘less developed in their thinking’ about energy transition – report
Smaller North Sea oil and gas firms are “less developed in their thinking” around the current energy transition and the need to diversify their business, according to a new energy sector report.
Mossmorran walkout by staff resolved thanks to ‘positive discussions’, unions claim
A walkout of more than 100 workers yesterday at ExxonMobil's Mossmorran plant in Fife has been resolved today after "positive discussions", according to trade unions.
Offshore wind jobs boom branded ‘pipe dream’ after Scot Gov supplies estimated figures
A predicted boom in North Sea offshore wind jobs has been branded “a pipe dream” by union bosses after the Scottish Government admitted that it only uses “estimates” of current employment figures in the sector.
Workers stage ‘unofficial’ walk out from Mossmorran chemical plant
More than 100 workers staged an unofficial walkout at the controversial Mossmorran chemical plant in Fife yesterday.
Updated: Scottish Secretary of State faces backlash over wind farm comments
The current Secretary of State for Scotland has faced a backlash after he described the foreign construction of offshore wind turbines for Scottish projects as "the market economy at work".
Scottish plan to be turbine monopiles construction hub ‘really big ask’, expert says
New proposals to make Scotland a monopile construction hub for future UK-wide offshore wind projects has been branded “a really big ask” by a UK renewable energy expert.
New offshore wind rules ‘unpleasant’ for developers but important, Wheelhouse says
A strict new rule change by the Scottish Government requires offshore wind farm developers to set out how they plan to create local jobs.
‘Jobs scandal cannot continue’ unions warn ahead of crunch offshore wind summit
Scottish trade unions are to warn top bosses and government that “the job losses scandal has to stop” during an offshore wind summit at Holyrood today.
BiFab yard to be mothballed despite firm cutting losses by £42m
Troubled Scottish manufacturer Burntisland Fabrication (BiFab) will see its Arnish yard mothballed today despite accounts indicating the firm stemmed its haemorrhaging losses by over £42 million.