The Scottish Government has pledged it will \u201cexplore all options\u201d to support ExxonMobil workers in Fife, after the energy giant announced it is to close its plant at Mossmorran.<\/p>\n
But Scotland\u2019s Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said it was also \u201ccrucial\u201d that Labour ministers at Westminster \u201cconsider what more they can do for the workers at the plant and take urgent action\u201d.<\/p>\n
She spoke out at Holyrood hours after ExxonMobil announced its ethylene manufacturing plant, which produces the base material for many plastics, is expected to close in February.<\/p>\n
The move puts\u00a0179\u00a0workers directly employed at Mossmorran at risk, along with the jobs of 250 contractors \u2013 although there is the possibility of 50 staff transferring to the Fawley Petrochemical Complex almost 500 miles away in Hampshire.<\/p>\n
In a statement, ExxonMobil said its Fife Ethylene Plant \u201chas been a cornerstone of chemical production in the UK for 40 years\u201d,<\/p>\n
ExxonMobil confirmed plans to close its Fife Ethylene Plant in February next year (Jane Barlow\/PA) <\/p>\n
However, the firm added that the closure \u201creflects the challenges of operating in a policy environment that is accelerating the exit of vital industries, domestic manufacturing, and the high-value jobs they provide\u201d.<\/p>\n
ExxonMobil said: \u201cWe considered various options to continue production and tested the market for a potential buyer, but the UK\u2019s current economic and policy environment combined with market conditions, high supply costs and plant efficiency do not create a competitive future for the site.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Forbes said she was \u201cextremely disappointed\u201d by the move.<\/p>\n
Speaking at Holyrood, she said: \u201cI wish to provide my assurance to the workforce that we will work with them and their representatives to explore all options to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pledged the Scottish Government would now \u201cengage constructively\u201d with Fife Council and others to \u201cconsider all possible actions to\u00a0 mitigate any impact on the local economy\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms Forbes also promised to convene a taskforce \u201cto urgently consider any actions the Scottish Government, with the limited economic powers we have, could take to mitigate the impact of this decision\u201d.<\/p>\n
With the planned closure coming after the oil refinery at Grangemouth was shut down in April this year, the Deputy First Minister also said work to find an alternative future for this site would be expanded to include Mossmorran.<\/p>\n
But she said the UK Government must work with her to \u201csecure a future for the site\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms Forbes said: \u201cExxonMobil has been clear in its announcement today that the UK\u2019s current economic and policy environment does not create a competitive future for its site.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stressing that the \u201clevers for an industrial intervention\u201d lie with Westminster, she added: \u201cI believe it is crucial that UK ministers consider what more they can do for the workers at the plant and take urgent action \u2013 overdue action \u2013 to address the high cost of energy which is slowly crippling industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander accepted it was an \u2018incredibly difficult time\u2019 for workers at Mossmorran (Ben Whitley\/PA) <\/p>\n
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, however, said that the closure decision was \u201cultimately a commercial one\u201d for the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an incredibly difficult time for the Mossmorran workers and their families,\u201d Mr Alexander said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UK Government has explored every reasonable avenue to support the site,\u00a0but the closure decision is ultimately a commercial one for Exxon, a company which is facing significant global challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur focus now must be on supporting the workforce in the months ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of the trade union Unite, said it was \u201cutterly disgraceful\u201d that the company had decided to shutter the plant.<\/p>\n
\u201cExxonMobil must withdraw the closure threat and enter into meaningful negotiations with all key players to ensure the future of the plant and jobs,\u201d she demanded.<\/p>\n
The union\u2019s industrial officer, Bob MacGregor, added: \u201cToday\u2019s news is devastating for the workers at the plant and the local community as well as the industry as a whole. Unite will do everything it can to support our members through the next few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cExxonMobil is one of the richest companies in the world. It cannot be allowed to walk away and leave an industrial wasteland in Fife.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert Deavy, a senior organiser for trade union GMB, which represents contractors on the site, called for politicians to put together a \u201cplanned and measured\u201d transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is more grim news for workers, their families and communities but exactly how much more bad news is needed before ministers protect jobs and our country\u2019s energy security? How many dominoes have to fall?<\/p>\n
\u201cOur members do not need more politicians wringing their hands or making more speeches promising just transitions. There is nothing just about what is going on and there is no transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need politicians willing to finally stand up and demand an industrial strategy that protects the UK\u2019s crucial oil and gas while actually delivering a planned and measured transition instead of the economic carnage unfolding day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Scottish Government has pledged it will \u201cexplore all options\u201d to support ExxonMobil workers in Fife, after the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":578920,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[748,66493,393,6085,130446,4884,66489,143854,183086,1144,183205,183206,712,11312,16,15,1764],"class_list":{"0":"post-578919","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uk","8":"category-united-kingdom","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-deputy-first-minister","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-exxonmobil","13":"tag-fife-council","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-kate-forbes","16":"tag-manufacturing-plant","17":"tag-mossmorran","18":"tag-northern-ireland","19":"tag-plant-efficiency","20":"tag-policy-environment","21":"tag-scotland","22":"tag-scottish-government","23":"tag-uk","24":"tag-united-kingdom","25":"tag-wales"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115572442663686300","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}