ScotWind Debacle – cock-up or conspiracy?

Kate Ramsden

#STUC24 The STUC will add its voice to calls for an urgent public enquiry into the Scottish Government’s ScotWind auction which sold off Scotland’s offshore wind rights at a knock down price, underselling by billions of pounds.

Kate Ramsden on behalf of Aberdeen Trades Union Council seconded the motion from Moray Trade Union Council.

She condemned this sale of public assets, which has put money in the hands of big business to make their profits with, as it stands, no benefit to Scotland or local communities.

Kate added, “We need to know what went wrong - conspiracy or cock-up so that our demands for a just transition can be more than a pipe dream.

“The Scottish government needs to stop selling off our public assets at knock down prices - or at all,” she said, adding that it also needs to stop using private consultants at a cost of mega bucks.

“We need to know how the ScotWind debacle has come about but more importantly, how Scotland can still benefit from the current project.”

The Scottish Government must put its money where its mouth is on Just Transition

Aberdeen Trade Union Council (ATUC) at its monthly virtual meeting on Wednesday 4th November, unanimously condemned the Scottish Government's decision to outsource the manufacturing work of offshore windfarm contracts that could and should have been manufactured in Scotland.

Aberdeen TUC delegates are very alarmed that the Scottish Government speaks well when talking of a Just Transition but takes business decisions that act contrary to the spirit and intent of its own policy and against the interest of workers and their families in Scotland.

ATUC Executive member and Aberdeenshire UNISON Green Champion, Steve Gray said, "Now is the time for a Just Transition in Scotland. We need to move towards a modern low-carbon economy in ways which protect not only the environment, but also workers’ livelihoods, particularly those who currently work offshore and in sectors reliant on fossil fuels.

"Radical action is needed now to avert the environmental and economic costs of climate change. We need to move towards a planned economy that has environmental and social justice at its heart, and which provides jobs making products in a sustainable way, where workers have secure employment and good terms and conditions.

"Trade Unions are fundamental to delivering that vision and will assist the process of transitioning traditional industrial sectors in a fair and just way. Workers, if losing their job in these sectors, should be able to redeploy to new sectors and the opportunities for retraining must be provided."

FAIR WORK DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS JOINT STATEMENT BY THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT AND SCOTTISH TRADES UNION CONGRESS

Coronavirus is affecting all our daily lives including our workplaces. We recognise the very challenging position that many employers and workers are now facing. We need a partnership, working in the national interest, to get through the next few months - a partnership that involves the public sector, unions, businesses, 3^rd sector organisations, and all workers and managers. We are hugely appreciative of the many cases where this is already in place.

Applying Fair Work Principles through the crisis

Scotland is rightly proud of its reputation as a leader on Fair Work and remains committed to becoming a Fair Work nation.  The health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the economy is our priority and in these exceptional times, adopting a Fair Work approach is more important than ever.

Scotland’s success as an economy is built on a shared endeavour between workers, unions and employers and this approach will help us get through the current health and economic crisis. Government, unions and business organisations must work together to reach, collectively, the right decisions for protecting workers and public safety, and to help businesses to stay open, where permitted under latest guidance, and keep people in employment.

There has been an unprecedented package of support announced from both the Scottish and UK Governments to support businesses. This support should help many employers preserve their business, maintain jobs and pay their workers throughout this crisis. Information on this support is available through findbusinesssupport.gov.scot.  We urge all businesses to make use of this. 

Employers should consult the latest guidance on the operation of public services and non-essential businesses.  With the closure of schools and other childcare centres now in place to help delay the spread of the virus we need to make sure that key workers performing essential tasks (and for whom no other safe and viable childcare including home working is available) have childcare support to enable them to carry on working.    

Guidance on the definition of key workers and childcare provision is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus---school-and-elc-closures-guidance-on-critical-childcare-provision-for-key-workers/.

We have high expectations of how fair work principles should be applied during the current crisis. This means an approach where workers, trade unions and employers work together constructively to reach the right decisions on all workplace issues that arise throughout this crisis. The dimensions of fair work as defined by the Fair Work Convention: effective voice; security; respect; opportunity and fulfilment, applied to the current context, offer a framework for taking these decisions.