UK offshore wind companies urged to look to reshoring

Nautilus said it has consistently campaigned against the Offshore Wind Workers Concession, which came to an end on 30 April, because it disincentivised employers from hiring and training UK maritime professionals to work in British territorial waters.

“The end of the Offshore Wind Workers Concession is a welcome move from government. Employers have had six years to train UK maritime professionals in the skills needed for the growth of offshore wind,” said Mark Dickinson, general secretary, Nautilus International.

“Instead, they have used this concession to import labour from abroad on lesser pay and weaker conditions undermining job opportunities for UK resident seafarers.”

Call to Government

Mr Dickinson said that Government must commit to no further visa rule changes and ensure any seafarer recruited from abroad to work in the UK offshore wind sector receives wages and conditions reflective of UK standards, not ”international minimums.”

“If government are serious about their commitment to investing in the UK maritime workforce as highlighted in Maritime 2050, they must ensure a level playing field for seafarers across the offshore wind sector,” he said.

The Home Office has said previously that the Offshore Wind Workers Concession is time limited and leave to enter under the terms of the concession will not be granted beyond 30 April 2023. It said that ”The concession will not be renewed beyond this date.”

The concession was introduced as a temporary measure in 2017, but the concern comes from the fact that it has already been extended six times.