A new survey has revealed just over 95% of offshore workers believe the UK and Scottish Governments are not doing enough to support the sector.

Out of a survey of 779 Unite member workers, 24% said there was no future for the offshore sector, while 55% only saw the industry surviving with government intervention.

With some 60% of respondents having been the industry for over 10 years, and 35% for over 20 years, nearly 90% agreed that both Governments should buy stakes in offshore infrastructure such as pipelines and platforms.

Unite Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said: "The message from our members and other offshore workers in this survey is clear – unless government starts to come up with some new thinking for the oil and gas industry, the future is looking very bleak.

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"We have made repeated calls for a summit to bring together energy companies, trade unions, the Scottish Government and the UK Government, so that we can start planning for the future. It's never happened, and we just can't understand why.

"We have repeatedly called on the Scottish Government and the UK Government to consider using their borrowing powers to take out public stakes in new offshore infrastructure, and to help protect existing infrastructure that might otherwise be decommissioned. 

"We believe public stakes would encourage companies to also invest, supporting jobs, and creating returns for the public purse in the future. 

"We are in the middle of a crisis, and unless there is action soon we could be approaching a point of no return. That would be devastating for the Scottish economy, particularly in the north east."

Earlier this month, North East Scotland Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald put down a Scottish Parliament motion calling on the Scottish Government to facilitate discussions with the UK Government, industry and trade unions to create a plan for co-investment in the offshore industry.

(LM)