WORKERS at Scotland’s last oil refinery at Grangemouth have slammed a lack of joint working between the Westminster and Scottish governments to save jobs.
More than 2,000 jobs were put at risk last year as PetroIneos announced plans to close the site by 2025, sparking fears of a catastrophic impact on an industrial cluster which forms 8 per cent of the country’s GDP.
Now, a survey of its members on the site by Unite has shown that 88 per cent thought politicians were not doing enough to save jobs.
Only 11 per cent were confident of finding “like for like” roles and just 3 per cent expressed any confidence at all in ongoing just transition plans for oil and gas workers.
Unite Scottish secretary Derek Thomson said: “There has been an alarming abdication of any political responsibility over Grangemouth which is staggering as the complex is of enormous strategic importance to the Scottish economy.
“We have asked for every option to be put on the table in order to secure hundreds of highly skilled jobs but the glaring problem remains that government ministers haven’t even put down one.”
In a statement to Holyrood, SNP secretary for net zero and energy Mairi McAllan said: “I restate the Scottish government’s commitment to working with all interested parties to plan for and to realise the most prosperous transition possible for Grangemouth and for Scotland.”
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “The UK government will always back the North Sea oil and gas sector and green industries, such as offshore wind and carbon capture and storage, to protect our energy security, attract investment and create opportunities for communities in Scotland and across the UK.”
