Any plan to tackle climate change will only be effective if made in consultation with workers in the industries most affected
GMB, the energy union, has responded to the Government's new target to slash emissions by 78% by 2035
Andy Prendergast, GMB Acting National Secretary, said:
“Any plan to tackle climate change will only be effective if made in consultation with workers in the industries most affected.
“Our members want to reduce emissions and secure a sustainable future for their industries, but there is no justice in a transition from good, skilled jobs to the unemployment lines.
"The reality is that the link between green investment and jobs is broken. We spend £5 billion a year on subsidies for wind energy but most of the orders have gone overseas and the sector employs fewer than 12,000 people in the UK.
"We need a real plan for jobs. At a minimum, this should include a balanced energy mix the includes new nuclear plants, reforms to renewables subsidies to deliver jobs in the UK, and investment in hydrogen to decarbonise home heating and provide a sustainable future for the gas industry.
Ministers must engage with employers and unions to create good, long term jobs that boost our flagging economy at the same time.
"The Government now needs to urgently publish its strategies on how they plan to deliver this. Otherwise any talk of UK green revolution remains an empty slogan."
