Unison wins recognition at Octopus – months after GMB was told there was no demand

Octopus Energy has signed a recognition deal with Unison, giving workers at Britain’s biggest energy supplier a voice through the UK’s largest trade union.

The agreement, announced on 22 October, is billed by Unison as a step towards more unionised green jobs and a faster transition away from fossil fuels. Octopus says it has created around 8,000 green jobs in the UK.

Octopus says it spoke to several unions in recent months, but Unison stood out for its commitment to the energy transition and to good, unionised green jobs. Chief operating officer Jon J Paull said joining a union was “a decision for our people, not for management”.

Unison general secretary Andrea Egan said: “Unison brings workers together not only to win a fairer deal, but to drive the wider transformation of our society and economy. Nothing is more important in that respect than phasing out fossil fuels and replacing them with green energy.

“Climate change threatens us all, but it also presents an opportunity to create millions of good, unionised green jobs. That’s why we’re delighted to announce this deal with Octopus. It’s good news for the company’s workers and for the future of green jobs in this country.

“Unison is proud to be leading the way as the clean energy union. We urgently need more well-paid, unionised jobs and to transition away from fossil fuels at pace. This agreement is a step in the right direction on both counts.”

The deal is a turnaround for Octopus. In August, The Guardian reported that GMB was pushing for voluntary recognition at the company. Octopus said then that there was no need, or demand from staff, for a union.

Unison’s win also highlights a split among the big unions over North Sea drilling. Unite and GMB, which represent many oil and gas workers, back new licences. Unison opposes more drilling, arguing that long-term, sustainable jobs depend on tackling the climate crisis.

Unions also worry that jobs in the fast-growing renewables sector are rarely unionised, and so are less secure and less well paid than those in oil and gas. A recognition deal at the country’s biggest energy supplier is a real break in that pattern.