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An energy agency should be created to assess the energy needs of the UK over the next few decades, the General Secretary of Prospect asserted today, allowing the issue to be defined outside the confines of party politics. Mike Clancy, Deputy General Secretary of Prospect was speaking at a TUC fringe meeting entitled 'Nuclear: Workers, skills and the future', held by Trades for Nuclear Energy and the Nuclear Industry Association. Also speaking were Gary Smith, National Organiser at the GMB and Jack Dromey, Deputy General Secretary of Unite who chaired the event. Opening the session, the Chair began by stating that soaring energy prices were pushing forward the debate about the future of energy policy and the role of nuclear power. He asserted that the three challenges of security, sustainability and affordability, as defined by Mike Clancy in a meeting earlier in the day with the energy Minister Malcolm Wicks, framed the debate. Trade unions were focused on a balanced energy policy, he stressed, including nuclear, renewables and clean coal technology. The debate should not be nuclear against renewables, Mr Dromey stressed, insisting that they were partners. Concerns over carbon levels had led to a renaissance in the nuclear industry, the Chair maintained. High safety levels were apparent in the sector, delegates were assured, as Mr Dromey detailed that the 20 per cent of electricity that nuclear provided would drop to seven per cent by 2020 as power stations were decommissioned, leading to uncertainty over energy supply. The nuclear industry could create at least 40,000 new jobs, the Chair asserted, creating a greater need for engineering skills and apprenticeships. Addressing delegates, Mr Clancy asserted that replenishing the skills base was at the top of everyone's agenda in the nuclear industry. This issue constantly arose in the meeting with Malcolm Wicks earlier in the day, he added. On skills, there was a lot to do, Mr Clancy went on to warn, detailing that 47 per cent of the engineering staff working in nuclear generation would retire in the next twenty years. This would be coupled with increasing demand and a bottleneck in supply, delegates heard. Mr Clancy went on to state that 30 per cent of engineering graduates and 25 per cent of post graduates moved to work in the finance sector. Indeed, it was common for engineers in their mid thirties to seek management experience after they could not rise further in their engineering role, perhaps undertaking an MBA on the way, he added. Adequate rewards had to be addressed in the sector, Mr Clancy added, maintaining that the level of recent pay deals showed that the industry was addressing this. The issue of equality, in relation to gender and race, did still need to be assessed, he argued. In detailing a drop in engineering graduates, Mr Clancy insisted that engineering had to be seen as a twenty year career, becoming an attractive proposition to graduates. With plans for new nuclear plants, the Government commitment to the industry was there, he added. However, concrete decisions on the future of the sector still needed to be set out, the Prospect representative insisted. Mr Clancy concluded by saying that he wanted to work with employers to lessen the effects of bottlenecks of supply in the industry. Gary Smith began by stating that the economic downturn should not derail the debate on skills. Moreover, 53 per cent of the work in decommissioning was being undertaken by people with NVQ level 2 or level 3 qualifications, he added, highlighting that there was a shortfall of 33 per cent of people with that skill level. Consistency in funding was needed, Mr Smith insisted, stressing that the Government had resourced the industry through the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) but a period of certainty in the industry was needed to secure it for the future. He went on to argue against a piece meal approach to changes in the industry, warning that this could create silos. Mr Smith welcomed the 'terrific initiatives' shown in the energy coast plans for West Cumbria, commending the work of local politicians in pushing forward plans for reform. Such plans could see investment in the railways, roads, schools and hospitals in the region, he told delegates. On Sellafield, Mr Smith asserted that there were huge opportunities for real investment in the plant, welcoming comments by John Hutton, the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary, on the opportunities in re-processing and recycling published in the Daily Telegraph recently. The biggest question in the nuclear industry was whether it was up to the training challenge, Mr Smith asserted. He added that the issuing of redundancy notices in an area could be reduced by meeting skill shortages in other areas. The GMB representative welcomed the skills passport and the national skills academies. During the question and answer session, the panel was pressed on cuts in NII inspectors. A member of the Usdaw union also questioned the safety of nuclear power stations, citing the Chernobyl disaster and its continuing affects on health in the region. The track record on safety in the UK was 'superb', Mr Smith replied, adding that skills and proper equipment were essential to maintain a good record in this area. Indeed, a recent nuclear waste leak at Sellafield had been blown out of all proportion by the press, he maintained, stressing that the leak was contained and never threatened the safety of workers at the plant. Mr Smith went on to stress that the compensation regime in the UK for those injured in the nuclear industry was set up by the trade unions and did not take years to offer compensation, unlike the one for those effected by coal or asbestos-related conditions. Safety cover was always maintained during strike actions, Mr Clancy confirmed. On the NII, companies were actually prepared to fund more inspectors, he asserted, adding that he would not collude with the industry for short term gains over long term safety. The Chair asserted that he had been involved in long battles in the 1980s and 90s to get the industry to change, over-turning poor management practices. Over the last decade, the demands on the industry to guarantee safety had been 'very high', Mr Dromey stressed. Tackled by a representative of David Cameron's office on the possibility of cross-party conversations on the issue of nuclear power, Mr Smith replied that clarity in Conservative support for nuclear was needed. Cross party courage was also needed, he argued, praising the Government for its consistency in support for nuclear power. On the stance of the Scottish Executive against nuclear power, Mr Clancy stated that he was sure that Scottish citizens and workers would not support the loss of skills that such a position would bring about. The arguments over nuclear power needed to be won and the maximum degree of political consensus was needed to help bring that about, Mr Dromey concluded. Comments (0)
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