Energy firm bosses were told their “profiteering” is unacceptable as unions protested outside the HQ of one of the country’s biggest providers.

Unite the union organised the protest outside ScottishPower in Glasgow the day before the latest increase in the energy price cap takes average household bills to £2500.

The union said it has commissioned research that reveals, 82,633 (13%) of Glaswegians can’t pay their household bills this year.

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The campaigners want a price freeze and the big energy firms to be nationalised.

The rally heard from a campaign in Wyndford, Maryhill, where the people successfully rallied over a price hike in their district heating system.

The campaign won a commitment from SSE that it would not raise prices when the cap is lifted.

Stephanie Martin, of Wyndford Residents Union, said: “We forced SSE to give us a price freeze for 10,000 households.

“We fought a grassroots campaign and organised on the ground. We demanded SSE sat down with the residents union to discuss their disgusting profiteering.

“Before the pandemic, 80% of us were already in fuel poverty, then the shocking 50% increase in April.”

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She told how those in the community were not prepared to accept a hike in bills for a scheme that was promised would lower bills.

Ms Martin added: “We decided we were not going to stand for it. The district heating system was a Scottish Government initiative supposed to eradicate fuel poverty. That’s not been the case. Now 100% of us are in fuel poverty.

“That is shocking in one of the richest countries in the world.

“We will accept nothing less than a price reduction. We will not be paying for this profiteering.”

Union leaders said the rest of the country needed Government action on energy to take the control from the biggest providers and their shareholders to enable it to work in the interests of the people instead.

Simon Coop, Unite national officer on energy, said: “On the eve of the price cap being lifted to £2500, this will put more people in poverty. This is caused by a failed Government system that put all its bets on privatization.

“Our European colleagues, the French Government, took action to renationalise the energy companies to ensure the price is raised by just 4%.

“One stark difference is we have not got control over our energy companies.

“We need an economy that works or us and not just the 1%.”

Roz Foyer, general secretary of the STUC, criticised the pay of energy bosses.

She said: “The chief executive of ScottishPower earned £11m last year. That is unacceptable when we have 75% of Scottish families predicted to be in fuel poverty by January.

“This cannot go on - our Governments have failed us.”

A ScottishPower spokesperson said: “As a business employing thousands in high skilled, high paid green jobs, where our employees – including Unite members – share in our success, we’re disappointed by all the action that’s taken place today. 

“This wilful misrepresentation fails to recognise we invest more in UK energy projects than we make in profit or dividends every single year.  We’re building the renewable and electricity network infrastructure that will help wean this country off expensive fossil fuels and are creating a record number of jobs to help us do it – even in this difficult economic climate, not to mention having led the call for Government action on the cost of living crisis. 

“We stand for £10bn investment in the UK to 2025, delivering on the action needed to tackle climate change and investing in people, with 1,000 new jobs to be created in the next 12 months to help deliver our ambitious investment pipeline. We reiterate to Unite that we welcome constructive engagement.”