WORKERS must have a seat at the table in any discussions about a just transition away from oil and gas in Scotland, experts have said. 

STUC deputy general secretary Dave Moxham and Professor Jim Skea told Holyrood’s net zero, energy and transport committee that there needs to be “immediate and swift” action on reducing emissions in Scotland. 

Professor Skea of the Centre for Environmental Policy welcomed the appointment of a” just transition” minister within the government, adding that Scotland’s approach to shifting away from fossil fuels has caught international attention. 

Mr Moxham called on firms to put together their own plans alongside sector-wide proposals, saying that some have already taken this action but more must follow. 

He said: “Within those sectoral plans, particularly when we come to see some of the big players, we also need an expectation that we will see a ‘just transition’ plan from individual companies at every level. 

“There needs to be a seat at the table for workers through their trade unions, but also fundamentally for affected communities as well, particularly where transition may involve regional inequities.”