UK Offshore Wind Workers Concession ends

The Offshore Wind Workers Concession (OWWC) was first introduced in 2017, and has been renewed every year until now, to the consternation of unions such as RMT and Nautilus, who have campaigned for its abolition, claiming it undermines the UK government’s commitment to investing in marine jobs.

However Workboat Association chief Kerrie Forster says the industry will struggle all round.

“On one hand, the exemption ending will bring clarity over a recurring and highly conflicting situation, forcing the need to proactively rely on a UK-based skills pool,” he said. “But on the other hand it will bring an immediate staff shortage, leading to increased costs within the industry and potential unsafe situations due to a general lack of industry experience.

”As for the seafaring element directly, this is only one side of the skills pool that will be affected by the decision; the UK has an extremely ambitious offshore wind plan and although recruitment drives are being successful across a large number of skills (from high voltage electricians to specialist skills, turbine engineers to seafarers), currently the demands for an eligible UK workforce struggle to meet the rapidly growing requirements and non-UK labour is essential in many cases.”