NICOLA Sturgeon has told MSPs her thoughts are with workers at the Michelin tyre factory in Dundee, and she pledged to leave “no stone unturned” in attempts to prevent its closure and the loss of almost 850 jobs.
Company bosses in France have given Finance Secretary Derek Mackay until the end of the month to come up with proposals to retain the site, which contributes around £30 million a year in wages alone.
READ MORE: Hope of rescue remains as Michelin staff return to Dundee plant
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Sturgeon said: “This news this week has clearly been devastating for the 845 workers at Michelin and for their families and the wider community in Dundee.
“My thoughts are with all of them at this time.
“Let me be very clear, as Derek Mackay was in this chamber earlier in the week, that we will do everything we can to find a sustainable future for this plant.
“Our absolute priority is to pursue options for the site to continue with commercial production and we will leave no stone unturned in working with Michelin, with Dundee council and with other partners to secure a positive future for the plant, for its workers and for the wider community.”
Sturgeon repeated calls for the UK Government to commit an extra £50m to match the Scottish Government’s £200m contribution to the Tay Cities Deal.
She added that her Government would look at “all reasonable suggestions” for extra funding.
Willie Rennie, the Scottish LibDem leader, said Michelin had been a “giant presence” in Dundee.
“We need to do everything we can through the Tay City Deal and other measures to keep as many jobs in the city as possible,” he said.
“When Michelin pulled out of their Ballymena plant, there was a decent redundancy deal for the workers that paid proper respect to their service – workers deserve that.
“Will the First Minister make sure that any Dundee workers that are made redundant get that Ballymena deal or better?”
Sturgeon responded: “If redundancies are inevitable here, then we will want to see workers getting the best possible deal and Michelin, as I understand it, have already given commitments that that will be the case, but we don’t want, at this stage, to assume that that is an inevitable outcome.”
The Dundee site has been producing tyres since 1972, but Michelin bosses this week announced plans to close it by mid-2020, blaming cheap imports of the smaller wheels it specialises in.
Dundee’s four parliamentarians, meanwhile, have called on Theresa May to commit to working with the Scottish Government to support the Dundee workforce.
MPs Stewart Hosie and Chris Law, along with MSPs Shona Robison and Joe FitzPatrick, have jointly written to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary and the Scottish Secretary following Michelin’s shock announcement.
FitzPatrick said: “The announcement this week affects so many families across Dundee and they should know that our whole city is behind them at this difficult time.”
Robison added: “Michelin is an iconic business in the city and its workforce have over the years shown huge commitment and flexibility.”
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