As members of Unite, we are dismayed to see our union supporting Rosebank oil field.

Rosebank is bad for workers, bad for the cost of living, and bad for the climate.

If you are a Unite member, branch rep, or employee, please sign the open letter and spread the word.

Deadline: 31 March.

Letter:

Dear Unite General Secretary and Executive Council,

As members of Unite the Union, we are writing to express our dismay at the statement issued on Friday 13th March, calling for the approval of Rosebank oil field and Jackdaw gas field. The current union policy is a ‘balanced energy mix’, but does not provide a specific mandate to support Rosebank, which was ruled unlawful by the Scottish Courts in 2025. We urge you to retract these comments and to work with all parts of our union to develop a clear plan for just transition away from fossil fuels, that protects workers and advances climate justice.

Supporting Rosebank is bad for workers. In the coming decades, the world will move beyond fossil fuels and onto clean energy. The North Sea oil and gas sector is in terminal decline. Only 16% of workers are happy with their jobs; 71% consider moving out of oil and gas. Instead of clinging to a declining industry, Unite must work with governments and employers to guarantee new, high quality, unionised jobs for the workers and communities impacted by the transition.

Supporting Rosebank is bad for our cost of living. Rosebank and Jackdaw would not lower bills or improve the UK’s energy security, because their oil and gas would be sold internationally to the highest bidder. Dependency on fossil fuels endangers the UK’s energy security, as the oil price boom caused by the war on Iran shows. The only way to lower bills and provide energy security is with clean, home-grown energy. At a time when fossil fuel companies are making huge profits, it is deeply disappointing to hear our union parrot the oil industries talking points.

Supporting Rosebank is bad for us all. The science is clear: new oil and gas production is incompatible with tackling the climate crisis. Rosebank or Jackdaw would be climate disasters. We want our union to see the bigger picture, to recognise that the climate crisis is a threat to our members and to workers around the world, and to formulate a credible and just response.

In solidarity,