Wednesday 2 October 2024
Campaigners protest at energy price rise
Unite Union calls for energy price
guarantees and public ownership
This week Ofgem raised its price cap by an average of 10%, with millions already experienncing fuel poverty and hardship. For pensioners losing their Winter Fuel payment, it will mean the increases in energy costs will be nearer 15%.
On Tuesday 1 October, members of Unite, the UK's leading union, alongside other community organisations, rallied outside Wilco's in Halifax between from midday until 2pm - see photo above.
The demonstrations form part of the Unite Energy for All campaign which launched last year to urge government to end fuel poverty through the introduction of a free allowance of energy to every household to meet basic needs.
The 1 October protests are also calling for the public ownership of energy distribution networks, domestic power suppliers and the North Sea's reserves of oil and gas, to bring an end to flagrant profiteering.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, "Last year alone, private firms reported profits of £45 billion from our country's domestic energy system. If that money had been kept in the hands of the hardworking public, it could have been used to save each household almost £2,000 on their energy bills."
Twenty energy companies have made a staggering £457 billion in profits since the start of the energy crisis with £61 billion being posted in profits this year alone.
As part of the October price hike the regulator is allowing suppliers to make an additional 11% in profits on every standard variable tariff which works out as £1.2 billion in additional profit
Bills are 65% higher than in 2020 and over 6.5 million people live in fuel poverty.
Unite Community activist, Roger O'Doherty, told the HebWeb, "We need to freeze prices not pensioners. Local MPs should be pressing the government to reverse the Winter Fuel Payment decision and ensure Ofgem protects people rather than profits."