Scottish and UK governments both urged to ‘stand by’ Grangemouth workers

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Progressive governments must take a stand against billionaires who treat workers as disposable, against corporations who profit while communities suffer and for a real just transition that protects jobs, industries and livelihoods.” Her comments came as she told Labour supporters many people are “rightly outraged by the betrayal of Scotland’s workers at Grangemouth”. But Ms Foyer added: “So far, both governments are failing those workers.” With redundancy notices having been sent three weeks ago, she said the first group of workers would finish up at the plant on April 30, adding: “Out of 425 skilled workers, only 65 are required for Petroineos’s new import terminal.” She added that closing the refinery could The proposal to transition the site to make sustainable aviation fuel is a “plan that presents a financially viable way of retaining those jobs and transitioning that refinery now to become a key driver of net zero”, Ms Foyer added She said: “This is an opportunity that must be grasped, it is one that will protect the security of our national energy infrastructure and yet our governments hesitate to use their full powers to intervene. “Instead, they wring their hands, they offer us their condolences because the billionaire owners have decided it is not their global interests to keep Scotland’s only refinery open.” When the closure of the refinery was announced last year, the Scottish and UK governments jointly committed £100 million for the local area and pledged to work together on the Project Willow report on the future of the site. “We are all clear that the UK Government needs to do at least the same and deliver a fair amount to avoid significant economic disruption in central Scotland, and to protect and promote Scotland’s – and Grangemouth’s – future interests.” She also called on the UK Government to “expedite a decision” on the proposed Acorn carbon capture and storage project in Scotland, and “to make urgent progress on allocating funding for the second round of hydrogen production projects, to help ensure a sustainable future for the wider industrial cluster”.