The Grangemouth oil refinery has ceased operations with politicians set to feel the “wrath of voters” over job losses, a union boss said.
The writing has been on the wall for Scotland’s last oil refinery for some time, and despite engagement from the Scottish and UK governments, 400 jobs are set to be cut from the site.
Sharon Graham, Unite the Union general secretary, argued that “the UK and Scottish governments have utterly failed to protect refinery jobs at Grangemouth and thousands face losing their jobs as oil refining in Scotland ends”.
Last week, UK energy minister Michael Shanks said that the situation at Grangemouth was a “really good example of a transition done badly”.
A letter sent to staff on Tuesday morning read: “For over 100 years the name Grangemouth has been synonymous with the refining industry, but the world has changed and the market in Scotland has been unable to support a refinery”.
Grangemouth workers thrown on the ‘industrial scrapheap’
© Jane Barlow/PA WireTrade unions kept the pressure up on the UK and Scottish governments to support operations at the site as Petroineos deliberated over its future.
Demonstrations have been held both in the Forth Valley town and at Holyrood, calling for public support for the hundreds set to lose their jobs.
Last month, the government-backed Project Willow produced a report which claimed a series of clean energy projects at the Grangemouth refinery could create around 800 jobs over the next 15 years.
The SNP and Labour administrations also launched a Grangemouth Just Transition Fund with £25m from the Scottish government and £200m from the UK government.
However, Graham said not enough was done to stop Grangemouth’s “highly-skilled, well-paid workers” from being thrown on the “industrial scrapheap”.
Scottish government concerns have gone ‘unheeded’, claims Swinney
Scottish first minister John Swinney passed the blame to his Westminster counterparts as he argued more should have been done at a UK government level.
“We have said all along that this decision was premature, fundamentally short-sighted and detrimental to the transition to net zero,” Swinney said.
“Our calls for the UK government to step in and try and maintain operations have gone unheeded so far.”
© Supplied by Jason Hedges/DC ThomHowever, the Holyrood leader said that it is not too late for prime minister Keir Starmer’s government to act, pointing to the recent nationalisation of steel production in Scunthorpe.
“At the very least, they need to act to secure the site’s future, as interventions of this magnitude would require action from the UK government,” he added.
“We need to know and understand what assets are there at the refinery that could potentially be used to help Grangemouth contribute to our net zero economy in the future.”
‘Workers will not forget or forgive’
Meanwhile, both Starmer and Swinney are set to “face the electoral consequences” for the closure of the refinery and the loss of jobs in Grangemouth, the Unite boss claimed.
“The job cuts are entirely unnecessary. There are projects like SAF [sustainable aviation fuel] production, which can be accelerated to protect jobs, and those opportunities must not be lost,” Graham said.
“It would pave the way for Grangemouth to become a world leader in green aviation.”
Graham said that despite plenty being said from both governments, “nothing has been done” and that Swinney and Starmer have “effectively allowed China to shutdown Scotland’s capacity to refine fuel, as it hopes to use Grangemouth as an import hub.”
She warned: “Workers will not forget or forgive.”
© Jane Barlow/PA WireSwinney’s response to the news primarily focused on his sympathies for those impacted by the closure.
“I want to pay tribute to the workers at Grangemouth, who I know will be deeply concerned by this news, but who have acted throughout this process with professionalism,” he said.
“Everyone will know someone or some family affected and this news will be difficult for everyone in the local area.”
‘John Swinney and Anas Sarwar will face the wrath of voters’
Looking ahead to next year’s Holyrood election, Unite Scottish secretary Derek Thomson said that the SNP leader and his Scottish Labour opponent, Anas Sarwar, are set to take a hit.
Thomson claimed: “John Swinney and Anas Sarwar will face the wrath of voters for their broken promises to the workers and the people of Grangemouth.”
Despite promises that millions would be spent to protect those working at the site, he said “not one job will be saved”.
© Supplied by Jane Barlow/PA Wire“Not one job will be created for years by Project Willow, and not one penny of the £200m National Wealth Fund can be unlocked without private investment.”
Swinney said that the skills of those at the Petroineos site are “valued and we want them to stay”, as he pointed to government initiatives.
“That is why we have provided up to £450,000 for a skills intervention which is being delivered by Forth Valley College to help retrain and upskill affected workers,” the first minister said.
“That will enable them to progress to the sort of new jobs that will be created through the Project Willow proposals and other opportunities across the Grangemouth cluster.”
