Advocate John Aycock notes an unheralded but important UK development in the interaction between employment law and the green sector which may have implications on island as this sector develops locally.

AT a time when the Isle of Man’s first offshore wind farm is in the pipeline, the UK government has secured industry agreement to enhancing worker rights for those employed in that sector. The UK Offshore Wind Fair Work Charter was agreed in June 2026 by 37 offshore wind related companies and five trade unions. The Charter aims to enshrine commitments so that the clean energy sector has minimum standards of practice to allow for, amongst other things, worker protections and representation, health and safety optimisation, dispute resolution and possible future trade union recognition across the sector.

The Mooir Vannin offshore wind farm project is the initiative of Orsted, a Danish renewable energy business that is reported to employ approximately 7,700 people globally. The Mooir Vannin wind farm was granted marine infrastructure consent by the Council of Ministers in the Isle of Man in 2025 and remains under scrutiny as part of ongoing consultation and examination exercises. Orsted says it is working on how to connect Mooir Vannin wind farm to both the UK national grid and the Isle of Man. Orsted itself does not feature amongst the 37 initial corporate signatories to the Charter, but may have interests via related companies.

The relevant employment law covering workers in such sectors is complicated by the cross territorial work conducted. The Charter promoted by the UK government seeks to enhance trade union access to offshore wind workforces with a view to improving employment protection for its workers. The Orsted website states that Mooir Vannin would create long term Isle of Man based jobs with a new island operation and maintenance base. The Isle of Man’s employment statutory regime generally only applies to those who work in the Isle of Man because, with some exceptions such as seafarers, it excludes those who are employed wholly or mainly outside the island.

Meantime Orsted is a member of another joint initiative which is helping nature by funding trials to try to reduce seabird bycatch (caused by fishing gear entanglement). The Offshore Wind Industry Council (‘OWIC’), established in 2013 to develop the UK offshore wind sector by bringing together industry and government, has funded research on using kites resembling birds of prey to deter seabirds away from fishing nets. This follows RSPB data showing a shocking 62% of UK seabird species in decline, with bycatch understood to be a contributory cause.

As renewable offshore energy impacts more on the Isle of Man, it will be interesting to see how the employment law protecting workers in that sector develops both locally and beyond. Joint initiatives such as the OWIC contribution to helping alleviate an avian crisis illustrate that the sector can work meaningfully with Government to seek better outcomes for both people and nature.

Advocate John Aycock is head of the employment team at M&P Legal and has 35 years’ experience of employment law in three jurisdictions. M&P Legal also has experience of environmental law disputes. This article is not legal advice, you should take advice on the specific facts of each case.

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