Green strategy ‘outdated’ and will not create enough jobs, say unions

The Government’s green industrial strategy is “outdated” and does not do enough to create jobs in Scotland, unions have said.

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) has responded to the strategy document published on Tuesday, saying it merely hands natural resources to international companies.

Designed to “place Scotland at the forefront of the net zero economy”, the 54-page Government document sets out five areas where ministers want to secure growth and investment.

These include the “wind economy”, the hydrogen sector, carbon capture, and professional services for the green economy.

There is also a commitment to have a global offshore wind investment forum next spring.

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “After two decades, the Scottish Government should know that ambition without concrete action to build green industries and create jobs across our communities is worthless.

“The strategy says that an active state is necessary for success yet sets out a role for public bodies and local authorities limited to handcrafting Scotland’s natural resources for private investors and multinational companies.

“The Irish and Danish governments are listed as examples, but we can’t compare ourselves to them since their governments actually have stakes in Scotland’s offshore wind farms.

“This approach to industrial strategy is outdated and has been abandoned by the USA and across the EU.

“International investment to build on the huge opportunities from Scotland’s wind, hydrogen and carbon capture potential is welcome if the terms are set clearly – jobs in our communities, trade union recognition, and a fair share of the benefits across the country.”

Meanwhile the Scottish Greens said the SNP had made the “wrong choices” in the strategy.

Co-leader Lorna Slater said: “The focus on carbon capture technologies is a huge misstep and represents a significant shift since the Scottish Greens were in Government.

“These are experimental technologies, any role that they have to play in our journey to net zero will be very limited in both time and scope, and they’re a long way yet from being truly green technologies.

“By placing them front and centre of the green industrial strategy, the SNP is essentially granting permission for fossil fuel companies to continue extracting and burning north sea oil for generations to come.”

Announcing the strategy on Wednesday, acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Scotland’s energy sector will play a crucial role in growing the economy and delivering on our net zero targets.

“We have already committed up to £500 million over five years to develop the offshore wind supply chain.

“This will build further on Scotland’s strengths to generate growth in well paid jobs and exports, to enable us to deliver on our Programme for Government priorities of high quality public services, eradicating child poverty and protecting the planet.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is already delivering successes as a result of concrete actions in collaboration with the private and public sectors.

“As an example, the green industrial strategy was launched during a visit to Flowcopter, a pioneering Scottish SME, supported by Scottish Enterprise funding, which is innovating and creating jobs in the offshore wind supply chain.

“In contrast to governments in Ireland and Denmark, the Scottish Government does not have full powers over a number of important fiscal and energy policy areas.

“But through the green industrial strategy we have set out a clear package of measures to help ensure businesses, workforces and wider communities are supported in seizing the enormous opportunities of the green economy.

“Scotland operates in a highly competitive market and we need all of our stakeholders, including our trade unions, to be focused on the common goal of attracting investors to Scotland and ensuring we can all share in the economic benefits of the transition to net zero.”