Greens call for urgent fund to protect Mossmorran workers
The Scottish Government should set up a fund to create jobs for laid off Mossmorran workers, similar to the one announced for former Ineos workers at Grangemouth, say the Scottish Greens.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, the party’s co-leader, Ross Greer, called for the just transition fund for Mossmorran to include a guarantee of job interviews for the hundreds of workers being laid off by ExxonMobil.
A similar job-interview condition has been secured by Unite the Union for former Ineos workers at Grangemouth.
In his first question to the FM, Ross said:
“Last week I asked the First Minister for the just transition plan for Mossmorran workers that his government promised it would write 18 months ago. He twice avoided answering that question.
“Since then we’ve had three summits in as many days involving the Scottish and UK Governments and Fife Council. At none of those has the Scottish Government provided the plan it had committed to write.
“The Scottish Greens spent years working with the trade unions representing Mossmorran workers and the wider community to produce plans of our own.
“Because we all knew this day was coming. Now hundreds of workers face losing their jobs within weeks and their government has no plan to help them.
“Can the First Minister please just admit that there is no Scottish Government plan ready to support them. And apologise that his government did not deliver on the commitment they made?”
In his response the First Minister did not commit to publishing the plan that had been promised.
In his second question, Ross said:
"Presiding Officer, wouldn’t it have been great if the Deputy First Minister was able to attend these summits with the plan for jobs that her government had committed to writing 18 months ago?
“These workers have been abandoned by Exxonmobil. And despite knowing about the company’s plans to cut and run, there was absolutely nothing for Mossmorran in yesterday’s Labour budget.
“But these workers have also been let down by a Scottish Government who - when push comes to shove - has no new ideas.
“The Scottish Greens have one to put to the First Minister today though.
“Grangemouth rightly has a just transition fund. Unite the union ensured that as a condition of getting any money from that fund, organisations must offer job interviews to anyone made redundant from Ineos.
“Will the Scottish Government now do the same for Mossmorran workers?”