GMB trade union chief tells Labour to ‘get fracking’ in Scotland over shale energy

The GMB trade union – which represents many workers in the energy industries – has told the Labour Party to ‘get fracking’ after a trenchant rebuttal of the party’s ‘no shale’ policy by INEOS.

As reported in Scottish Energy News, Gary Heywood, Chief Executive, INEOS Upstream, pointed out gaping holes in the party’s logic on shale energy. See also:

INEOS chief sends open letter on shale energy to Labour MSP

http://www.scottishenergynews.com/ineos-chief-sends-open-letter-on-shale-energy-to-labour-msp/

This latest intervention represents a growing response to the anti-fracking lobby in Scotland as voices from academia, industry and across the political spectrum echo GMB Scotland’s call for a ‘sensible debate’ on the economic and employment opportunities of fracking.

GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith said: “This sobering intervention from the industry is one that Scottish Labour would do well to take on board, because the idea that we can heat our homes or run our industries without fossil fuels anytime soon is a nonsense.

“Gas is around four times cheaper than electricity – it helps heat 78% of all homes in Scotland – and I doubt any serious political party with ambitions of government would go to the electorate on a manifesto that proposes a fourfold increase on their heating bills.

“Abandoning a balanced energy strategy will mean importing more gas from questionable regimes which have no regard whatsoever for human rights or the environment, never mind tackling fuel poverty or redistributing wealth in the form of job creation.

“Some of the contributions earlier this month in the Scottish Parliament debate on shale energy resembled a student politics pub debate and it’s time the Labour party got real again on Scotland’s energy future.”