Governments hopeful of new jobs for Grangemouth workers

The Scottish and UK governments person said they are hopeful workers facing redundancy successful Grangemouth volition rapidly beryllium offered caller jobs.

About 400 jobs are expected to spell erstwhile the refinery closes adjacent year.

Unions person accused ministers of failing to program decently for a “just transition”, and said thousands much workers had been near astatine risk.

But Scottish vigor caput Gillian Martin told BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show she was “confident” highly skilled unit would find different work.

And UK vigor curate Michael Shanks said helium was alert of different companies having already reached retired to the workforce astir taking them on.

When the determination astir the refinery's closure was announced connected Thursday the UK and Scottish governments announced a associated £100m concern bundle successful the hopes of improving prospects successful the Grangemouth area.

But Ms Martin was incapable to accidental however galore jobs the concern would apt save.

"That is going to beryllium a substance for commercialized companies coming into the area," she said.

"I would ideate that astatine the moment, there's rather a batch of companies looking astatine the skills layout of that workforce and making offers to those radical that they need.

"They are a highly skilled, highly experienced workforce who person the skills that could beryllium transitioned into making biofuels, into making hydrogen and, of course, moving the import terminal.

"I americium assured that those highly skilled radical volition find different work."

Michael Shanks told The Sunday Show the authorities was moving to enactment a just modulation distant from fossil fuels.

He said determination was besides targeted enactment for the assemblage and workforce.

Shanks added: "I already cognize there's a fewer employers who person reached retired to the workforce."

He said closing the refinery was a disappointing determination and added: "What we present request to marque definite is that those workers person got a aboriginal but besides that the tract itself has got a beardown concern future."

During First Minister's Questions past week, the section MSP revealed she was moving with a imaginable buyer.

The SNP's Michelle Thomson told the Holyrood chamber: "I person been moving with a 3rd enactment that hopes to acquisition the refinery successful its entirety.

"The substance is, of course, commercially delicate and confidential, but volition the archetypal curate conscionable maine truthful that I tin stock what accusation I can, with the support of the imaginable buyer?"

First Minister John Swinney replied that helium was blessed to conscionable Thomson.

On The Sunday Show, Gillian Martin said she was "wary" of speech of a imaginable buyer, but added that the Scottish authorities had "no idea" who the imaginable purchaser was.

"I deliberation 1 of the things that I'm somewhat wary of is the information that Petroineos really said astir precocious November past twelvemonth that their volition was to adjacent the refinery successful its existent signifier and crook it into an import terminal," she said.

"I would person imagined that if anyone was funny successful taking implicit the refinery, that would person been the cardinal constituent to get successful touch, but obviously, I don't cognize the inheritance of these people."

Ms Martin added: "I would similar to cognize who they are, I would similar to cognize what their inheritance is.

"And I deliberation Petroineos evidently would similar to person an knowing of who this idiosyncratic is arsenic well."

Thomson, who was elected for the SNP for Falkirk East successful 2021, "did not cognize overmuch about" the imaginable purchaser erstwhile she spoke to Martin astir the situation.

The Scottish vigor caput said: "Since then, she says things person been accelerated moving, she's got much information.

"She's evidently said what she said astatine First Minister's Questions past week astir introducing them to the government, but I deliberation besides Petroineos needs to beryllium involved, due to the fact that of course, they're the radical that would beryllium selling the plant, if someone's interested."

Unions person said the installation should stay unfastened for longer, successful bid to supply clip for a greenish alternate to beryllium established.

They person besides criticised politicians for failing to program decently for the site's closure and transitioning distant from fossil fuels much generally.

The refinery was opened by BP successful 1924 and expanded into petrochemicals successful the 1950s.

It is the main supplier of aviation substance for Scotland's airports and a large supplier of petrol and diesel crushed fuels crossed the Central Belt.

Ineos acquired the tract successful 2005 and are liable for the full plant, portion the refinery itself is owned by Petroineos - a associated task betwixt Ineos and PetroChina.