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‘Hot Air’: STUC Report Exposes £2 Billion Black Hole in Government Green Jobs Ambitions

‘Hot Air’: STUC Report Exposes £2 Billion Black Hole in Government Green Jobs Ambitions

A new report from Scotland’s largest trade union body has criticised government rhetoric around investment and jobs from ScotWind as “little more than hot-air” as research reveals a £2 billion black hole in funding to be able to deliver on ScotWind commitments.

The Scottish TUC (STUC) report ‘ScotWind: The investment needed to secure manufacturing jobs in Scotland’ has revealed the funding short gap during their annual congress in Dundee this week.

Research reveals that Scotland has ‘zero’ significant manufacturing sites, compared to the 19 required to meet the domestic procurement the ScotWind developers have promised. The report outlines that there could be peak direct employment of 25,000 jobs if the committed investment of ScotWind developers into Scotland becomes reality.

With less than £600 million on the table from both the Scottish and UK Government of the minimum £2.5 billion required to scale up Scotland’s supply chain, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer has said politicians “have their head in the sand” on securing ScotWind jobs potential.

The news comes as STUC Congress is set to debate the need for an industrial strategy from government to ensure the funding is secured. 

Commenting, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said:

“The promises of ScotWind will be little more than hot-air if both the Scottish and UK Government’s aren’t prepared to stump up the cash to secure the jobs we know we can build.

“Our ScotWind report released today, the latest in our analysis of Scotland’s green energy economy, shows that politicians have their head in the sands with a £2 billion gap in the funding needed to build our domestic supply chain.

“In order to reach the target of 25,000 jobs, Scotland needs a minimum of 19 manufacturing sites. We currently have zero. That’s a chronic indication of the political rhetoric clearly not matching the action needed to do what is right by our energy workers.

“We can secure a truly just transition for workers in the sector but only if the politicians follow the necessary next steps set out in this report. Workers are ready to play their part. Politicians should do likewise."