THE owners of the Grangemouth oil refinery have been accused of treating their workers “terribly” in the wake of the announcement the site would close.
The Petroineos refinery near Falkirk is set to become a fuel import hub, which could result in the loss of around 400 jobs.
Ministers are discussing how to save jobs and trade union hopes are pinned on the possibility of repurposing the site to produce green fuels.
But workers are still feeling “anger” and “anxiety” over the announcement, which came towards the end of last year, according to the Scottish Greens.
Gillian Mackay (below), Greens MSP for the Central Scotland region, has called for workers to be put “at the heart of shaping what happens next”.
Trade union representatives were only included in a board tasked with securing Grangemouth’s industrial future after the Sunday National revealed they were previously excluded.
And we revealed how UK Government regulations could strangle a bid to turn Grangemouth into a producer of sustainable aviation fuel.
READ MORE: UK Government 'unlikely' to scrap biofuel cap to save Grangemouth
Mackay said: “The Ineos site is a dominant part of life in Grangemouth. I grew up only 200 yards from the refinery, and am proud to represent the town today. I know how important the jobs are to the local economy and to the community as a whole.
“That’s why I’m calling on the First Minister to ensure that the workers and the community are at the forefront of shaping what's on their doorstep.
“Since Jim Ratcliffe’s announcement I have met with workers and trade unions, and their anger and their anxiety is real. I feel it too. Ineos has treated those workers and their families terribly. They must be at the heart of shaping what happens next.”
Mackay said skilled workers at the site must be helped to adapt to new industries which could succeed the refinery.
“We need to make sure that the workers who are here now have the ability to adapt their skills to any new industry and that those industries have good jobs with good terms and conditions, pensions and pay,” she added.
“We can’t leave the workers or the town behind. We all need to pull together to ensure a secure, sustainable and prosperous future for Grangemouth.”
A spokesperson for Petroineos at Grangemouth said: "In November last year, we informed our employees that we would soon commence enabling works to prepare for a future transition from a refinery to a fuels import terminal.
"When we made that announcement, we stressed that no decision had yet been made about the timing of that transition and that it remained business-as-usual for employees, customers and other key stakeholders. That statement was true then and remains so today.”
"We recognise the impact of our announcement and the uncertainty it has caused to some colleagues.
"We believe it is right to communicate openly and transparently with our colleagues about the activities being undertaken on site and the longer term outlook for our business.
"We will continue to work closely with our colleagues as we deliver our critical projects to maintain continuity of fuel supply into Scotland long into the future."
"Grangemouth benefits from excellent logistics, first class utilities and infrastructure and a highly skilled, committed workforce.
"We are exploring the potential to develop a bio-refinery at the site and we remain fully supportive of Ineos’s proposed development of a blue hydrogen plant.”
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