The UK government should set up a separate company to buy the Harland & Wolff naval shipyard in Belfast as part of a drive to repurpose weapons manufacturing towards green infrastructure production, according to a report.
The study by think tank Frequent Wealth is launching what it describes as a “Lucas Plan for the 21st century” which sets out how the UK's military industrial capacity can be transformed into a green energy supply channel, benefiting workers, communities and the environment.
As a first step, it is calling on the government to create an off-balance-sheet public holding company – comparable to GB Vitality – to buy the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, which went into administration last month.
Mathew Lawrence, director of Frequent Wealth – the think tank that first suggested a publicly owned energy company, a policy now adopted by the Labor Party – said British manufacturing has enjoyed a set of “strategic niches” from the beginning. aerospace sector to shipbuilding that could “drive a green Industrial Revolution.” “
Lawrence added: “An active green industrial strategy to reorient towards the green industries of the future can provide greater economic resilience, retain Britain's industrial capacity and contribute to decarbonisation. In the process, a more secure and equitable future can be built.”
At least four of the UK's naval yards (in Forth, Lagan, Tyne and Mersey) already manufacture products for the offshore wind sector. Spanish shipbuilder Navantia is in talks to buy Harland & Wolff, but Friday's report argues the UK government should step in and repurpose workforce skills – including welding, manufacturing and engineering – to boost productivity. green economy.
The report's author, Khem Rogaly, said Harland & Wolff was just one example of how military-industrial capacity can be redirected toward green industry.
“Under public ownership and with adequate investment, capacity and skills at Harland & Wolff’s historic shipyards should be directed towards the green transition to fill essential manufacturing gaps in offshore wind and provide long-term security for workers.” .
The UK military industry produces approximately 6 million tonnes of CO2 every year. The report argues that converting strategic sites for green manufacturing offers a route to reduce these existing emissions while developing green industries.
Karen Bell, professor of social and environmental justice at the University of Glasgow, said: “The UK arms industry is responsible for significant environmental and social harm, but is often justified in the name of preserving national jobs. The Frequent Wealth report highlights that alternative employment possibilities exist in the form of green, safe and decent jobs.”
Many of the Belfast shipyard workers are members of the Unite union. George Brash, the union's regional co-ordinator, said Unite was speaking to “all key stakeholders and the government with the aim of securing employment and investment in Harland & Wolff”.
He added: “This workforce has a very important role to play in shipbuilding, but also in building the renewable energy infrastructure necessary for a sustainable future. “It is very important that these jobs and skills and the future of these shipyards are safeguarded.”
The yard manufactures ships used by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, whose staff is made up of members of the RMT union. Alex Gordon, president of the RMT, said the union supported the report which “strongly supports our policy to end the increase in arms spending by UK governments”.
He added: “The best traditions of our union movement include working for peace and recognizing that the working class and their families are always the main victims of war… the RMT campaigns for unionized, well-paid and socially useful jobs to replace investment in arms production, including a commitment to build a defense diversification campaign on the principles of a just transition, so that the skills, jobs and communities that depend on them are safeguarded.”