Mossmorran action plan a victory for workers say Scottish Greens
Plans to develop a Just Transition plan for Mossmorran will begin within a matter of months, following calls from Scottish Greens regional MSP Mark Ruskell, the Scottish Government has confirmed.
In a Written Answer to the MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, following a question in which he called for a timeframe to be established, the new Climate Minister, Gillian Martin, committed to work beginning early in 2025.
Mr Ruskell has been urging Ministers for months to draw up a Just Transition plan which he said must be developed in partnership with the operators of the plant, workforce and local community.
He said: “This is a victory for the workers at Mossmorran and the local community who really need to know that this Scottish Government will work with them and the site operators to ensure they have a secure, green future.
“I have spoken to workers as well as union representatives, politicians and local people who all agree that the site can have a viable future, but only if there is a clear and deliverable plan in place that looks to the future.
“It has to be co-designed by all those impacted, and it must learn the lessons of what has gone wrong at Grangemouth. I welcome the fact that the new Climate Minister has made that promise in her response.
“This has been a long and detailed campaign, but the work is only getting started. There can be no delay. This has to be treated as a priority issue by the new Cabinet at Holyrood, and I will ensure that happens.
“These are truly worrying times for the industry, and I hope that this step forward will help give some hope and reassurance to my constituents and that they will have future greener jobs that can provide careers for many more generations.”
In December 2022, Mr Ruskell published research used as a blueprint for a net zero future at Mossmorran which called on the industrial complex to pivot to skilled green jobs to protect the economy and cut emissions.
Following the shock closure announcement of the INEOS site at Grangemouth, he called on an urgent summit over the future of Mossmorran, and later secured a commitment from cabinet secretary Mairi McAllan that a plan would be co-designed by the government for the site run by ExxonMobil and the Shell-operated Fife NGL plant.
The confirmation came in a written answer to Mr Ruskell’s latest intervention on the issue.
SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT WRITTEN ANSWER
15 May 2024
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will report on the timeframe for the creation of a Just Transition Plan for the Mossmorran industrial site developed in partnership with the operators of the plant, workforce and the local community.
S6W-27249
Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has committed to developing a Just Transition Plan for the Mossmorran industrial complex, work will commence in early 2025. This will allow for a thorough evaluation of the approach taken at Grangemouth to maximise learning and outputs. We will follow the principles of co-design and include a wide range of appropriate stakeholders from the community, industry, workforce and public sector. The Scottish Government intends to publish the plan by the end of the parliament.
