Alan Foggin 

From Blyth, Northumberland.

My Employer: Renolit UK.

Cramlington, Northumberland.

Manufacturer of PVC Foils.

Job Title : Recycling Plant Operator. I've been employed there for 28 years.

Steve Wilson

Job: Energy Specialist at EDF. What is my role: working with customers who have issues ranging from billing issues to meter fault ensuring they stay on supply. 

What Labour needs to do for the Energy and manufacturing industry: have a clear and concise

plan on keeping the energy industry alive whilst avoiding job losses 

Keith Richardson 

I work at Liberty steel - Hartlepool pipe mill - as a 

Team Leader. 

I would like Labour to ease off or pause green energy.  

Craig Tucker

I'm a machine operator Stoelzle Flaconnage.  As a level 3 machine operator within the decorating department my role is to operate automatic printing machines in an effective, productive and safe manner. 

Checking quality of pieces produced and that they meet required specifications and quality. 

We need the labour party to listen to the voices within the industry because in small towns like Knottingley that has 3 glass manufacturers, if an affordable and sustainable energy source isn't found/ transitioned, then not only could it close those

plants it may close the town when people lose their jobs.

Chris Winks 

Job: Machine Tech Op at DS Smith Featherstone, responsible for the running of a machine to create sustainable plastic-free corrugated packaging for a wide rage of areas across the UK and Ireland. 

Labour needs to ensure the security of the UK manufacturing sector and ensure growth that will lead to well paid, trade union jobs 

Brett Marshall 

Role: Technical Specialist for Reservoir Safety.  Scope: I ensure Yorkshire water remain compliant with the Reservoir Act 1975, by carrying out civil inspection of dam structures. 

What can our government do to improve or save our Energy & Manufacturing sectors:

• They need to produce a detailed plan showing how as a country we transition from fossil fuels to green energy. 

• They need to work with education and universities to ensure we are setting up the next generation for working in these sectors. 

• They need to ensure we have our own UK capacity to design, build and maintain the infrastructure of the future. 

• They need to protect UK manufacturing from being undercut by exports 

• They need to ensure whatever their plan is, it is affordable for the working person e.g. energy prices etc.

Shaun Porritt 

Gas Engineer - Service, repair and installation of domestic gas appliances  

I feel like Labour needs to get rid of standing charges on gas and electric meters also lower the cap on supplying energy to our homes.  

In this day and age for a developed country we shouldn't be relying on the likes of Norway and Russia etc for our gas supply.  

David Douglas

I am the Chair of the GMB Workers Transition Panel.

I also serve as a Director of Climate Jobs UK, the Branch President of GMB's Northern Energy Branch, elected to the GMB's CEC this year and have worked as a Technical Engineer at British Gas for the last 25 years, a GMB Rep at BG for 18 years.

Through the Workers Transition Panel, my goal is to ensure that energy workers are at the heart of shaping the future of our industries. The shift to a low-carbon economy must be led by those who keep the lights on and homes warm not dictated by distant boardrooms or policymakers without real-world experience.

I am committed to securing a worker-led Just Transition, where jobs are protected, pay and conditions are improved, and training opportunities guarantee that skilled workers have a future in the green economy. My focus is on ensuring that companies, policymakers, and unions work together to create real, unionised jobs not just political soundbites so that no worker is left behind in the transition.

This panel is about giving workers a voice in decisions that affect their livelihoods. I'm here to make sure that voice is heard loud and clear. 

Daniel Goodall

National convener at Arla Foods Ltd 

For Labour to effectively support the energy and manufacturing industries, it needs a clear and strategic plan that balances economic growth, job creation, energy security, and decarbonization. Here is what Labour should focus on:

Secure Energy Supply & Lower Costs

Invest in renewable energy infrastructure (wind, solar, nuclear, hydrogen) to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Reform the electricity market to lower costs for manufacturers, ensuring competitive energy prices.

Improve grid infrastructure to support new energy projects and avoid supply bottlenecks.

Revitalize UK Manufacturing

Create an industrial strategy focused on domestic production of key technologies (batteries, wind turbines, semiconductors, etc.).

Provide subsidies and tax incentives to encourage investment in British manufacturing.

Strengthen supply chains to reduce dependency on foreign imports, especially in strategic industries.

Green Transition & Net Zero Jobs

Ensure a just transition for workers in high-carbon industries by providing reskilling and upskilling programs.

Support carbon capture and storage (CCS) in heavy industry to keep UK manufacturing competitive while cutting emissions.

Boost green steel production and other low-carbon industrial processes with government-backed investment.

Invest in New Technologies

Accelerate the development of hydrogen, nuclear SMRs (Small Modular Reactors), and energy storage solutions.

Establish R&D funding for innovation in advanced manufacturing and automation.

Partner with universities and businesses to commercialize emerging technologies.

Improve Infrastructure & Supply Chains

Upgrade transport links and ports to enhance manufacturing exports.

Encourage local production of key components (e.g., EV batteries) to reduce reliance on overseas supply chains.

Expand industrial zones and freeports to attract investment.

Workforce Development & Fair Pay

Work with industry to ensure apprenticeships and training align with future job needs.

Strengthen workers’ rights and wages to ensure sustainable, high-quality employment.

Promote STEM education to build a pipeline of skilled workers for the energy and manufacturing sectors.

Government Procurement & Support

Prioritize British-made products in public contracts, boosting local manufacturing.

Provide low-interest loans and grants to support business growth and innovation.

Set clear long-term policy goals to give businesses confidence to invest in new energy and manufacturing projects.

Colin Brown

Works for Baker Hughes, supplying hundreds of jobs for over 25 years in the shadows of a once thriving ship building industry.

We ask the government to respect our workforce and our employers - these jobs support our members and their families as well as the local community.

Oil and gas will be needed for many years to come, especially if we plan to build millions of houses that the country needs. 

So we ask you to get behind our workforce and help secure these highly skilled jobs for many years to come.

No tariffs or restrictions that could hinder our international trading, collaboration between the government and the oil and gas industry to utilize our skills and products and help secure a bright future.

Simon Duncan

Thermal Insulation Engineer 

 Branch Secretary, Convenor and National Delegate 

Currently Unemployed 

The Labour Government must speed up the construction of more nuclear power plants, large and modular , ensure we have adequate gas power stations and carbon capture systems for when renewables do not provide . Encourage further research into Industrial battery storage as we need greater capacity and longevity in the storage of energy . 

Greater tax incentives to ensure investment in the UK workforce and industrial hubs - no offshoring of jobs . The Government should be looking at reducing the cost of energy to manufacturing businesses. 

The Government needs to find greater access into overseas markets and less restrictions on trade within the EU . A true national drive to train young and older people in REAL apprenticeship schemes , grand infrastructure projects that will cost vast sums of money initially that will eventually pay for themselves must be undertaken - too often governments are afraid of the initial cost as the fruits can take a decade or more to ripen.

A short term fixation with polls and ballot boxes are not in the interests of the nation - a long term strategy is and do not be afraid of the initial cost or the slow returns . They need to adopt a more Keynesian approach to investment and growth rather than the reheated monetarism that New Labour and this administration seems happy to regurgitate and espouse . 

Think FDR’s New Deal. Think the Labour Government 1945-51.

It’s not much cop throwing cash at lame ducks.  However,investment into infrastructure mostly eventually pays dividends. The great Northern Cities need a modern rail infrastructure connecting them all not a two carriage rattler pacemaker carriage.  Then all the towns should be interconnected by modern rail links .

Someone has to manufacture the materials needed for infrastructure - greater transportation of people and goods almost always means greater trade . They need to not be afraid of being radical in their industrial strategies, greater growth means greater taxes which means greater public services and more jobs in the private and public sectors . 

Nearly 50 years have passed since the post war consensus was put to the sword and no Labour government since has had the gusto or decency to push forward a modern social democratic agenda.  Leaving everything to the markets has brought us where we are today and the serious threat of authoritarianism and hard or even far right takeovers of Western governments, this nation included . 

Ian Downes

I’m a Commercial Lead for Offshore Wind at EDF Renewables UK and Ireland

What Labour needs to do for the Energy & Manufacturing industry? Simplify and expedite the permitting and regulatory processes to reduce delays for onshore and offshore renewable projects.

Jamie Uttley

Gas Engineer for 25 years - so as a worker and  representative of members within the home heating sector I see this group's role as pivotal to ensuring a just, effective and affordable green transition for both workers and consumers.

The current drive towards electrification and heat pumps ignores barriers of cost, practicality and actual effectiveness for a large percentage of current housing stock and end users. 

There is an inescapable need for the use of natural gas further into the future, and subsequently, hydrogen to replace natural gas for the purposes domestic heating in instances where electrification/heat pump solutions are not viable.

In addition, it is essential that workers who transition across or start careers in industries installing and maintaining heat pumps or other electrical domestic heating systems, enjoy the same terms, conditions, compensation and equivalent recognised qualifications as those already employed within the gas industry. 

Any transition used by industry to drive down pay or terms & conditions cannot be allowed nor considered just.

The need for a green transition is not in doubt, however, without workers voices and input, its chances of success are minimal and its risks to those workers & their families vast. 

Thomas Albrighton

I am a gas engineer

with Gateshead Council.

I believe that Labour need to work with those currently in the industry to assess the real world implications and  practicalities of renewable energy transition.

Working with workers who can share the required knowledge and expertise from ground level to ensure a just and efficient transition to green energy that benefits all.

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