THE Scottish Government has been told it will achieve “absolutely nothing tangible” to save the Grangemouth oil refinery as a top trade unionist called for urgent action.
Unite has called out ministers for their “total silence” on how they plan to secure an extension in the refinery’s lifespan.
And the union branded the situation at Grangemouth as “one of the greatest tests” the “just transition” process will face in Scotland.
Around 400 jobs would be lost by the closure of the refinery, the only one remaining in Scotland and one of just six in the UK.
The National has seen a letter from Energy Secretary Mairi McAllan to Unite saying the Scottish Government’s position was that “refinery operations should continue for as long as possible”.
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In the letter dated March 12, McAllan (below) declined a request for a meeting with the union, saying she had met with Unite two weeks before and that they would both be attending a meeting of the Grangemouth Future Industry Board on March 28.
Derek Thomson, Unite’s Scotland secretary, said: “It is clear to Unite that securing an extension in the Grangemouth oil refinery’s lifespan is not being treated with the urgency nor the seriousness which the situation demands.
“The Scottish Government’s stated ambition is to continue the refinery’s operations for as long as possible, yet there is total silence from government ministers about how they intend to make this a reality.
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“The best that’s on the table appears to be monthly Grangemouth Future Industry Board meetings, and the forum will produce absolutely nothing tangible within the timeframes required.”
“For Unite, the first real test – and perhaps one of the greatest tests that the Just Transition process will ever face in Scotland – is based on what the future holds for the Grangemouth oil refinery and its workers.”
We revealed previously how energy minister Graham Stuart (below), who has been leading from the UK Government’s side on the future of Grangemouth, turned down a meeting with McAllan earlier this month.
Grangemouth’s oil refinery is jointly owned by PetroChina and Ineos. The latter has received £600m in backing from the UK Government for a petrochemical plan in Antwerp, Belgium – while state support has been ruled out for Grangemouth.
UK ministers are also under pressure to lift a cap on biofuels, which the Scottish Government believes is a barrier to saving jobs on the site.
The Scottish Government did not respond to Unite’s comments but referred The National to a statement McAllan made in Parliament last month in which she said moving workers into new “low carbon” jobs at Grangemouth was her “priority”.
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