Jobs in the renewables sector will almost double to 830,000 from 430,000 by the end of the decade, says Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who has warned that Reform “would wreck everything we are doing”.
Outlining the Government’s forthcoming Clean Energy Jobs Plan, Mr Miliband says he will ensure that clean energy jobs “are always good jobs – with fair pay and the very best rights at work”.
He has targeted 31 priority occupations that will benefit from this rapid expansion – from 25,000 more engineers and researchers, to 26,000 more welders and electricians, and 36,000 more construction workers, backed by a new Fair Work Charter.
It also includes plans to close loopholes that give offshore renewable energy workers fewer rights at work than oil and gas workers – including some not being covered by the minimum wage – and ensuring worker representation on the boards of publicly-owned bodies like Great British Energy.
But noting that Reform wants to scrap Net Zero targets and reverse many of the renewables initiatives, Mr Miliband says: “Reform would wreck everything we are doing. They’ve said they would “wage war” on clean energy.
“Let’s spell out what this war means. A war on the workers at the Siemens wind turbine factory in Hull. A war on the construction workers building carbon capture and storage in Teesside. A war on the working people of Britain.
“Reform’s war on the future would betray every young person in our country and every person yet to be born.”
He will announce an expansion of Great British Energy’s landmark scheme to install solar panels in schools and hospitals, and a new initiative to help cut bills for military sites.
Around 200 schools and 200 NHS sites, a third of NHS trusts, have already been funded to have solar panels installed by Great British Energy.
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