THE Scottish government was criticised today for failing to consult unions over the loss of Scotland’s only oil refinery after it emerged it was aware of the proposals nearly two years ago.

Documents unveiled by the Sunday Mail showed under-fire Health Secretary Michael Matheson was told about energy giant Petroineos’s plans to close Grangemouth refinery when he was energy minister at a meeting in February 2022.

Some 400 of the 500-strong workforce’s jobs were put at risk last November when Petroineos announced plans to convert the refinery into an oil terminal.

But Mr Matheson’s successor Neil Gray on December 13 told MSPs that “the first time we were made aware of the decision [to cease refining] was at the same time as the workforce were made aware.”

Unite’s Scotland secretary Derek Thomson said: “It appears that government ministers had knowledge that the end of refining operations could be on the horizon for months.

“Therefore, the lack of engagement with Petroineos on preventing this scenario coming to fruition, along with no proposals to help extend the lifespan of the refinery and to explore alternative options to diversify energy production at the Grangemouth complex, can only be viewed as a strategic failure on the part of the Scottish government.”

Scottish Labour MSP Richard Leonard said the fact a Cabinet member had been told of the plans made  it “all the more unpardonable that the workforce who create the wealth and their trade unions were not part of the government’s engagement.”

Tory energy spokesman Douglas Lumsden accused Mr Matheson of “betraying” Grangemouth’s workforce.

A Scottish government spokesman said: “The Scottish government engages regularly with industry, including Petroineos, to discuss a wide range of potential future scenarios.”

Petroineos said it had “regular meetings” with UK and Scottish government ministers about its operations at Grangemouth.