Trade unions have blasted the SNP government’s plans for the future of Grangemouth as “insulting” to workers.
In a brutal response to the Holyrood administration’s “Just Transition Plan” for the troubled Petroineos site, the STUC said it was “woefully short on actions” and “makes a mockery of the entire concept” of a just shift to renewables for energy workers. The scathing rebuke comes a day after hundreds of staff at the oil refinery near Falkrik – Scotland’s last refinery – received redundancy letters from billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s firm.
Campaigners branded the move a “national disgrace”. In their response to the consultation on the government’s Just Transition Plan, the STUC warned Grangemouth workers are rapidly “losing faith” in both the Scottish and UK governments.
The trade union body, which represents around half a million Scots, accused ministers at Holyrood and Westminster of abandoning communities and leaving the future of the plant to the “whims of shareholders”. The STUC said in its consultation response: “With hundreds of workers set to lose their jobs at the Grangemouth Refinery in the coming weeks and months, and thousands more in the supply chain under threat, this draft Just Transition Plan does nothing for those workers…
“Most of the ‘proposed actions’ are in fact processes or commitments to future action. The need to decarbonise Grangemouth has been known for decades.
“Yet key interventions remain left for the future, rather than clearly set out in the plan. The reference in the consultation paper to a ‘potentially uncertain future’ is insulting to the workers who have seen their demands for immediate support ignored as PetroIneos proceeds with the closure.”
It was announced last year that the refinery would close and transition into being an import terminal. Up to 500 jobs are expected to be lost, with 65 due to be kept on as part of the new operation. Petroineos which operates the plant is a joint venture between Ratcliffe’s Ineos conglomerate and Chinese oil giant PetroChina.
STUC general secretary Roz Foyer told the Record: “Unions have long maintained that the future of Grangemouth was the litmus test for a just transition. While we recognise that a Just Transition for the Grangemouth refinery workers requires action from the UK Government, these plans make a mockery of the concept of a Just Transition and fail the people they are meant to protect.
“The First Minister has repeatedly said every possible option to protect workers at Grangemouth must be considered. While we welcome his backing to keep the site open, ultimately the government has failed to persuade both PetroIneos and the UK Government to retain the jobs that are at risk.”
She added: “The Scottish Government’s plan for Grangemouth, whilst no doubt well intentioned, cannot be taken seriously unless it contains substantive protections and a transition plan for workers on the ground. Protecting communities and jobs was a mission neither government could afford to fail. With regret, that’s exactly what seems to be happening.”
The Scottish Government insisted it was “absolutely committed to securing a long-term future for the wider Grangemouth industrial cluster”. Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin added: “But we also need to ensure that there is something to transition to.
“We believe that refining at Grangemouth should continue, and a premature closure of the refinery is fundamentally short-sighted and detrimental to the transition to net zero. We stand ready to support everyone impacted and have announced dedicated skills support for those facing redundancy.
“However, the UK Government has so far failed to live up to its commitments or offer any assurances about the future of Grangemouth and its workforce.”
A spokesperson for the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We are leaving no stone unturned to find a viable long-term future for Grangemouth. Before July, there was no overall plan for the future of the Grangemouth refinery.
“Within weeks, we worked with the Scottish Government to put together an unprecedented £100million package to support the community and invest in the local workforce, along with tailored support to secure good, alternative jobs.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletterhere.