{"id":453063,"date":"2026-06-30T04:25:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=453063"},"modified":"2026-06-30T04:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:25:11","slug":"miliband-forces-wind-firms-to-back-unions-or-lose-subsidies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=453063","title":{"rendered":"“Miliband Forces Wind Firms to Back Unions or Lose Subsidies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ed Miliband, the UK\u2019s Energy Secretary in the Labour government, has tied access to certain public subsidies and funding for offshore wind projects to compliance with a new “Offshore Wind Fair Work Charter.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies bidding for state support must sign up to new employment commitments or risk exclusion from clean-energy benefits<\/strong>. The Telegraph<\/a> has the story.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dozens of businesses supplying the offshore wind industry have been pressured into adopting pro-union rules after the Energy Secretary<\/a> warned he would reduce their access to taxpayer funds unless they complied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means the companies will be required to meet certain requirements in the Employment Rights Act<\/a> months before they are rolled out nationwide, including a new right for trade unions to enter their workplaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They will also have to provide unions with information identifying \u201cmajor contractors\u201d across the supply chain where \u201creasonably practicable\u201d, and actively engage representatives in projects that concern them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 37 companies have agreed to the commitments set out in Mr Miliband\u2019s new Offshore Wind Fair Work Charter \u2013 after the Government threatened to block their applications for clean energy subsidies if they failed to comply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tories accused Mr Miliband of risking an increase in energy bills<\/a> by \u201ceffectively forcing the offshore wind industry to accept unionisation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its flagship Employment Rights Act, passed last year, Labour introduced several measures aimed at boosting the presence of trade unions in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new rules, which were Angela Rayner\u2019s pet project<\/a> before her resignation from the Cabinet, will include a \u201cstatutory right of access\u201d, forcing bosses to let unions into their offices, and a duty on firms to inform workers of their right to join a union when they start a new job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Employment Rights Act is being implemented in stages, meaning these specific requirements are not set to come into force until October 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Mr Miliband has stripped offshore wind companies of their right to apply for the clean energy bonus \u2013 a green subsidy scheme \u2013 unless they sign up to his Fair Work Charter, effectively forcing them to implement the new rules early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move affects businesses applying for the latest round of subsidies, which provide financial support for offshore wind developers that prioritise investment in high-need areas and use less polluting supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, the Government announced that an initial 37 supply chain companies had agreed to sign up to the charter, alongside five trade unions \u2013 including Unison, the largest union in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said at the time that the move would \u201cpave the way for trade union recognition across the booming offshore wind sector\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It added that it expected future agreements to include \u201ccommitments on fair terms and conditions, apprenticeships, and more inclusive workplaces\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The department has since told The Telegraph that more than 60 businesses and trade unions have signed up to the charter \u2013 although it is unclear how that total breaks down between each category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said: \u201cBritain must get a grip on electricity prices. Cheaper energy is essential for economic growth, the cost of living, and tackling climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ed Miliband, the UK\u2019s Energy Secretary in the Labour government, has tied access to certain public subsidies and funding for offshore wind projects to compliance with a new “Offshore Wind Fair Work Charter.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":453069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691841795,691819239,691818301,691828717],"class_list":["post-453063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ed-milibands-department-of-energy-security-and-net-zero-desnz","tag-green-subsidies","tag-offshore-wind","tag-trade-unions","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1TRt","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":425167,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=425167","url_meta":{"origin":453063,"position":0},"title":"Energy giant revives wind farm after Miliband\u2019s \u00a31.8bn subsidy blitz","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/08\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00d8rsted, the Danish energy company and world's largest offshore wind developer, refers to a recent announcement to revive its Hornsea 4 project in the North Sea. This comes after UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband (under the Labour government) rolled out a major subsidy package in January 2026 via the Contracts\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AQOk3_UEEODnDKNuFlAUAJkaWl9VdV05X5lzVS0Cm7oIb156LLN-fG2n8aZGcE8D-uYCw-JZm-IzkxK-RTvpyZRRMz7GK6Q5moyXxEkJAv7c3V3IxlxaK_gF-jA912n4.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AQOk3_UEEODnDKNuFlAUAJkaWl9VdV05X5lzVS0Cm7oIb156LLN-fG2n8aZGcE8D-uYCw-JZm-IzkxK-RTvpyZRRMz7GK6Q5moyXxEkJAv7c3V3IxlxaK_gF-jA912n4.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AQOk3_UEEODnDKNuFlAUAJkaWl9VdV05X5lzVS0Cm7oIb156LLN-fG2n8aZGcE8D-uYCw-JZm-IzkxK-RTvpyZRRMz7GK6Q5moyXxEkJAv7c3V3IxlxaK_gF-jA912n4.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AQOk3_UEEODnDKNuFlAUAJkaWl9VdV05X5lzVS0Cm7oIb156LLN-fG2n8aZGcE8D-uYCw-JZm-IzkxK-RTvpyZRRMz7GK6Q5moyXxEkJAv7c3V3IxlxaK_gF-jA912n4.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AQOk3_UEEODnDKNuFlAUAJkaWl9VdV05X5lzVS0Cm7oIb156LLN-fG2n8aZGcE8D-uYCw-JZm-IzkxK-RTvpyZRRMz7GK6Q5moyXxEkJAv7c3V3IxlxaK_gF-jA912n4.jpeg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":378010,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=378010","url_meta":{"origin":453063,"position":1},"title":"Miliband plots surge in wind farm subsidies to rescue net\u00a0zero","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/12\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"As we know, Orsted cancelled their massive Hornsea 4 offshore wind farm the other day. This has left Mad Miliband\u2019s 2030 Clean Power policy in tatters.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/OIG-2023-11-13T120832.243.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/OIG-2023-11-13T120832.243.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/OIG-2023-11-13T120832.243.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/OIG-2023-11-13T120832.243.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":424797,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=424797","url_meta":{"origin":453063,"position":2},"title":"The Risks of AR7: Ed Miliband\u2019s Poison Pill","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/05\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"AR7 refers to the UK's Allocation Round 7 of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, a government auction process for subsidizing renewable energy projects, primarily offshore wind. It is a key part of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's push for \"clean power by 2030\" under the Labour government. Ed Miliband\u2019s \"poison\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"\u201cpoison pill\u201d\"","block_context":{"text":"\u201cpoison pill\u201d","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=poison-pill"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-05-185403.png?fit=1188%2C909&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-05-185403.png?fit=1188%2C909&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-05-185403.png?fit=1188%2C909&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-05-185403.png?fit=1188%2C909&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-05-185403.png?fit=1188%2C909&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":405347,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=405347","url_meta":{"origin":453063,"position":3},"title":"The Cost Of\u00a0Davey","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/27\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A major UK offshore windfarm has received a staggering \u00a32 billion of subsidy payments in just six years. Hornsea 1, sited in the North Sea, was one of the windfarms awarded contracts in 2014 by then Energy Secretary Ed Davey.","rel":"","context":"In \"Contracts for Difference (CfD)\"","block_context":{"text":"Contracts for Difference (CfD)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=contracts-for-difference-cfd"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQMOwAK-ZyBxmofc0i-gmdXPiD43qTjtP8EvlJ2dQ1PWGRn-C-1X91qDo8ZZpXIoqduP-u57ZSIjkJFYhjnCUONmqQFBpgtLhPEUDXtRLqxY8pkmVISrwASAZ6iPysuCFg86vDNuQsWD-vTcmLBez6uQtHet-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQMOwAK-ZyBxmofc0i-gmdXPiD43qTjtP8EvlJ2dQ1PWGRn-C-1X91qDo8ZZpXIoqduP-u57ZSIjkJFYhjnCUONmqQFBpgtLhPEUDXtRLqxY8pkmVISrwASAZ6iPysuCFg86vDNuQsWD-vTcmLBez6uQtHet-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQMOwAK-ZyBxmofc0i-gmdXPiD43qTjtP8EvlJ2dQ1PWGRn-C-1X91qDo8ZZpXIoqduP-u57ZSIjkJFYhjnCUONmqQFBpgtLhPEUDXtRLqxY8pkmVISrwASAZ6iPysuCFg86vDNuQsWD-vTcmLBez6uQtHet-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQMOwAK-ZyBxmofc0i-gmdXPiD43qTjtP8EvlJ2dQ1PWGRn-C-1X91qDo8ZZpXIoqduP-u57ZSIjkJFYhjnCUONmqQFBpgtLhPEUDXtRLqxY8pkmVISrwASAZ6iPysuCFg86vDNuQsWD-vTcmLBez6uQtHet-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQMOwAK-ZyBxmofc0i-gmdXPiD43qTjtP8EvlJ2dQ1PWGRn-C-1X91qDo8ZZpXIoqduP-u57ZSIjkJFYhjnCUONmqQFBpgtLhPEUDXtRLqxY8pkmVISrwASAZ6iPysuCFg86vDNuQsWD-vTcmLBez6uQtHet-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":358626,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=358626","url_meta":{"origin":453063,"position":4},"title":"UK Labour Caught in Own Net-Zero\u00a0Trap","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/25\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The government\u2019s net-zero noose draws tighter.\u00a0At energy questions in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst\u00a0asked\u00a0the Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary\u00a0Ed Miliband\u00a0if\u00a0the recent report by the National Energy System Operator\u00a0(Neso) projected higher or lower bills under his policies. Miliband\u00a0replied\u00a0that Neso forecast lower overall costs. \u2018It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Ed Miliband\"","block_context":{"text":"Ed Miliband","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=ed-miliband"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Move-Along-Theres-Nothing-To-See-Here-Please-Disperse.jpg?fit=1024%2C721&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Move-Along-Theres-Nothing-To-See-Here-Please-Disperse.jpg?fit=1024%2C721&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Move-Along-Theres-Nothing-To-See-Here-Please-Disperse.jpg?fit=1024%2C721&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Move-Along-Theres-Nothing-To-See-Here-Please-Disperse.jpg?fit=1024%2C721&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":414588,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=414588","url_meta":{"origin":453063,"position":5},"title":"Cheap Chinese wind turbines to flood British\u00a0waters","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/25\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"British waters could be flooded with\u00a0cheap Chinese wind turbines\u00a0in the future because the cost of Beijing building the machines has plummeted so fast, a new study has warned.","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQM41jkEjBIzLTvIsSIfU2fjB67V8fjF6OLJtSjHQe6ZfBIya1y_XeWLxNTBmhsRtRiHaIbZ4jAwspUXQmfad_otR0ImINKFSUfSculPRj9fp88pd_lKKRr8NeweW74-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQM41jkEjBIzLTvIsSIfU2fjB67V8fjF6OLJtSjHQe6ZfBIya1y_XeWLxNTBmhsRtRiHaIbZ4jAwspUXQmfad_otR0ImINKFSUfSculPRj9fp88pd_lKKRr8NeweW74-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQM41jkEjBIzLTvIsSIfU2fjB67V8fjF6OLJtSjHQe6ZfBIya1y_XeWLxNTBmhsRtRiHaIbZ4jAwspUXQmfad_otR0ImINKFSUfSculPRj9fp88pd_lKKRr8NeweW74-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQM41jkEjBIzLTvIsSIfU2fjB67V8fjF6OLJtSjHQe6ZfBIya1y_XeWLxNTBmhsRtRiHaIbZ4jAwspUXQmfad_otR0ImINKFSUfSculPRj9fp88pd_lKKRr8NeweW74-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQM41jkEjBIzLTvIsSIfU2fjB67V8fjF6OLJtSjHQe6ZfBIya1y_XeWLxNTBmhsRtRiHaIbZ4jAwspUXQmfad_otR0ImINKFSUfSculPRj9fp88pd_lKKRr8NeweW74-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0-Miliband-Forces-Wind-Firms-to-Back-Unions-or-Lose-Subsidies.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=453063"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":453077,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453063\/revisions\/453077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/453069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=453063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=453063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=453063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}