Latest news with #StrikingtheBalance
The Courier
6 days ago
- Business
- The Courier
Fears for 160 jobs at Mossmorran chemical plant
More than 160 jobs have been earmarked for redundancy at Mossmorran chemical plant, unions have warned. Contractors including Altrad, Kaefer and Bilfinger are making scores of staff based at the Fife site redundant, Unite the Union claims. Unite said they are preparing for an 'avalanche of job losses' across the oil and gas sector. At least 98 redundancies are expected by Altrad, with Unite saying the French company is blaming a downturn in work and cost savings being imposed by ExxonMobil, operators of the ethylene plant. Further jobs losses are also occurring with other contractors, with Bilfinger issuing 10 redundancy notices and Kaefer cutting 55 jobs at Mossmorran. It comes as job cuts are also made at Grangemouth Petroineos oil refinery. Mossmorran contractors undertook a number of critical support services at the refinery including access, thermal insulation and protective coatings. During peak activity at the refinery Altrad employed up to 300 workers, Unite said. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'There is an avalanche of redundancies taking place across Scotland's oil and gas industry. 'Theses job losses highlight what Unite has been saying about the unfolding jobs crisis in the oil and gas industry. 'The reality is that the UK and Scottish governments are failing to protect thousands of jobs. 'Government policy is also accelerating these huge losses without any credible jobs plan in place.' Altrad, Kaefer and Bilfinger have been approached for comment. The Courier reported on the Scottish Government's plans for a 'just transition' plan for the future of Mossmorran, expected by the end of 2026. And a report by Robert Gordon University warns up to 400 jobs a fortnight could be lost in oil and gas over the next five years. It says the UK is teetering in a fragile 'goldilocks zone'- a narrow window where action now could protect and even grow energy jobs. The study, Striking the Balance, urges the government to act now to prevent a steep decline in skilled roles. With the right investment, policies and delivery, UK offshore energy jobs could grow to 210,000 by 2033, it said.
Press and Journal
7 days ago
- Business
- Press and Journal
Warning 400 North Sea jobs could go every two weeks in the next five years
Up to 400 North Sea oil and gas jobs could vanish every two weeks over the next five years. That's the stark warning from a new Robert Gordon University report, which has compared it to losing the entire Grangemouth refinery workforce over and over again. It says the UK is teetering in a fragile 'goldilocks zone'- a narrow window where action now could protect and even grow energy jobs. But the window is closing fast. The study, Striking the Balance, urges the government to act now to prevent a steep decline in skilled roles. With the right investment, policies and delivery, UK offshore energy jobs could grow to 210,000 by 2023. However, without that, job numbers could fall to 125,000 – with Scotland expected to lose up to around 30,000 roles. Professor Paul de Leeuw, director of RGU's Energy Transition Institute, said action is urgently needed. 'The analysis shows that there is a workforce 'goldilocks zone' between 2025 and 2030 during which the UK supply chain capacity and capability can be sustained, developed and invested in, so that the transferability of the offshore energy workforce is optimised,' he said. 'Key to the effective delivery of the goldilocks zone is rapid investment in UK capabilities to deliver a fast-growing programme of green capital projects, which in turn will help to realise ambitious goals for domestic execution of these projects.' Prof de Leeuw said we need to 'follow the money' and pointed to 'massive investor uncertainty' in the negative sentiment for oil and gas in the UK and a slowdown in the wind industry. 'Where's the activity?' he asked. 'That Goldilocks zone is getting more urgent. 'There's just nowhere for the supply chain jobs to go other than overseas.' He said government intervention was needed to get confidence back in the industry. 'The UK's lack of joined up action means that the window of opportunity for delivering a just transition is closing,' he said. 'Countries such as Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands are already successfully balancing traditional energy production with rapid expansion of renewables, a model the UK could and should emulate. 'Analysis highlights the governments can rapidly put in place policies to better manage the decline in the oil and gas sector, so that offshore energy jobs and the UK's world-class supply chain can be sustained and retained.' Prof de Leeuw said the stakes were particularly high for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, where one in four jobs are linked to offshore energy – through direct employment or the wider supply chain. 'With investment at risk and renewables projects facing delays, the findings underline the present-day situation for the UK offshore energy industry and its stakeholders,' he said. 'The big prize of a significant jobs gain is still within our collective reach. 'Inaction or simply slow progress will mean that UK offshore energy job numbers overall could drop by almost 20% to 125,000 by 2030, making the path towards net zero even harder to negotiate.'
