Harbour Energy manager hits out after Aberdeen firm slashes jobs

Press and Journal

09-05-2025

A Harbour Energy manager has said workers feel abandoned by the government in the wake of the Aberdeen firm announcing 250 jobs losses.
On Wednesday, Harbour announced the cuts, blaming the windfall tax on profits for the decision. This brings the firm's total redundancies to 600 in two years.
Kerry Smyth, a technical support manager, said it had been a 'really hard week' for workers.
She said the UK Government must start listening and take responsibility for the damage it is causing to industry.
'People are sad, they're worried, but no one is surprised,' Ms Smyth said.
'600 at one company, that's 600 livelihoods, mortgages and families – what we want to see from the government is that they actually care about that.'
Ms Smyth said the Harbour job losses are a direct result of the UK Government's Energy Profits Levy, which imposes a 78% tax on profits from oil and gas production in UK waters.
'At Harbour Energy I see projects that just don't meet metrics anymore and assets that have to come forward in terms of cessation of production dates because they are not economic anymore,' the manager said.
'It's real. The government needs to act now before we lose the skill set we need to deliver the energy transition.
'The engineers that work in my team are highly skilled, competent individuals, perfect for taking us through an energy transition, but the jobs aren't there right now and we're losing them in the oil and gas industry.'
At an emergency press conference organised by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, Aberdeen Cyrenians chief executive Donna Hutchison warned that recent job losses in the city would fuel a further increase in child poverty, alcohol and substance-related harm and domestic violence.
'I'm all for a just transition, fair and inclusive, but I'm pretty sure it's not palatable to anybody in society to accept those risks,' she said.
'This is not just numbers on a spreadsheet, we really need to remember the humanity in this and that it really is having an impact every day on the citizens of Aberdeen.'
The chamber is calling for the removal of the Energy Profits Levy before the next financial year, funding support for the Acorn Carbon Capture project, and an emergency summit between the Prime Minister and First Minister to stop further losses and accelerate clean energy jobs.
Chief executive Russell Borthwick warned the UK is deindustrialising its energy capital and accused the government of failing to deliver on promises to protect jobs during the transition to net zero.
'This is not a region that needs bailouts,' he said, 'just a tweak in some sensible regulatory and tax policy now will safeguard jobs, create jobs, allow acceleration of the energy transition.'
Climate tech investor Steve Gray, from Ventex Studio, said government policy was failing the UK on every metric, from economics, jobs and carbon to the pace of the energy transition.
He called for a 'serious reset'.
'The biggest challenge is charging 78% tax on profits of domestic oil and gas production while you drive up imports which are untaxed and which don't pass any of our regulatory or licensing regime,' he said.
New polling published by the Chamber showed 68% of UK voters back using domestic oil and gas to meet demand, with only 27% believing the windfall tax has reduced energy bills. A majority view the tax as ineffective and unfair.