Unite leader says: 'UK and Scottish government missing in
action'
Unite, the UK's leading union, has described the announcement
that workers at the Grangemouth refinery have begun to be told
their futures, “as a national disgrace.'
Under the plans by Petroineos to close the refinery and establish
an import terminal, the majority of the workers are set to leave
Grangemouth, job losses are set to take effect in a time span of
three to 18 months.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is a quite
frankly a national disgrace that Petroineos has been allowed to
press ahead with this needless act of industrial vandalism. There
is a clear plan for the future of Grangemouth in place. Yet the
UK and Scottish governments are missing in action.
Just last week the UK government announced the expansion of
Heathrow and said that sustainable air fuel (SAF) will be
needed. Well Grangemouth can produce SAF - where is
the joined up thinking? It is clear the company is acting in the
national interest in China. Who is acting in Britain's interest -
who has got Britain's back?
“This the moment for the government to lead and stand up to
Petroinoes in the national interest. Petroinoes must allow the
transition to SAF and biofuels. If the company refuses the
government should be the investor of first resort. There will be
3,500 per cent increase in SAF demand. The market is there.
“Today's announcement will not deter us. We will fight for the
future of the refinery and the associated jobs.''
The failure of the UK and Scottish governments to offer a
solution for workers facing the loss of skilled, well-paid
employment, is stark. Rather than looking to implement plans to
ensure employment at Grangemouth, both governments have accepted
the demands of Petroineos, that is putting its own interests
ahead of workers, communities and the Scottish economy.
Unite has established a clear pathway for the future of
Grangemouth, which is in line with the government's own mandate
to introduce the use of SAF. The plan demonstrates how other
refineries in the world have been quickly transitioned to produce
SAF and biofuels. This would begin with the co-production of SAF
and petroleum, which will protect existing jobs and skills.
Last week Rachel Reeves in her
set piece growth speech highlighted how the support for
Heathrow's expansion was directly linked to the introduction of
SAF for UK flights. However, this was not linked to a plan to
transition Grangemouth to SAF production, and the government will
be unable to meet its own target of SAF production by 2030
without it.
The redundancies are only for directly employed PetroIneos
workers. An impact assessment for PWC has found that there are
2,800 workers directly reliant on the refinery. It is only the
500 directly employed workers who are currently finding out about
their futures.
Unite Scottish secretary Derek Thomson said: “It is unsurprising
that some workers want to leave as they have been facing years of
uncertainty, with the threat of job losses hanging over
them.
“These are incredibly skilled workers who are essential to the
success of the Scottish economy and have the necessary skills to
lead the just transition to a green economy. The workers and
their skills must not be lost.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The failure to ensure the transition of Grangemouth to SAF
production is in complete contrast to the government giving the
green light to the redevelopment of Old Trafford. Both Petroineos
and Manchester United are jointly owned by billionaire Jim
Ratcliffe.
Petroinoes is half owned by the Chinese government which is
currently attempting to become the world leader in the production
of SAF fuels.
