ALL OIL refining ceased in Scotland yesterday with the closure of the Grangemouth refinery, after more than 100 years of operation.
Mass sackings of the 3,000 workforce at the site are already underway, with the first 200 jobs to go before the end of June.
Alloa and Grangemouth Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman described the closure as ‘industrial vandalism and devastation’.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said that UK prime minister Keir Starmer and Scottish first minister John Swinney have ‘utterly failed’ the workers.
She warned that the ‘failure of politicians to save jobs at Grangemouth will fuel the flames of anger against mainstream parties’.
Graham said: ‘The UK and Scottish governments have utterly failed to protect refinery jobs at Grangemouth and thousands face losing their jobs as oil refining in Scotland ends.
‘Highly-skilled, well-paid workers, are being thrown on an industrial scrapheap.
‘Starmer and Swinney have allowed one of the worst self-inflicted blows to happen in generations and they will face the electoral consequences.
‘The job cuts are entirely unnecessary. There are projects like SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) production which can be accelerated to protect jobs and those opportunities must not be lost.
‘It would pave the way for Grangemouth to become a world leader in green aviation.
‘For all the talk, nothing has been done and both governments have effectively allowed China to shutdown Scotland’s capacity to refine fuel, as it hopes to use Grangemouth as an import hub.
‘Workers will not forget or forgive.’
Unite claimed that the Grangemouth refinery makes an economic contribution of £403.6m to UK finances per annum and that 3,000 workers are reliant on its operations.
Derek Thomson Unite Scottish secretary said: ‘The first wave of redundancies are taking place at Grangemouth and with it the historic end of oil refining in Scotland.
‘John Swinney and Anas Sarwar (Scottish Labour leader) will face the wrath of voters for their broken promises to the workers and the people of Grangemouth.
‘Anas Sarwar pledged hundreds of millions to save the refinery and to fund a transition to renewable industries under a Labour government.
‘Instead, not one job will be saved at the refinery, not one job will be created for years by Project Willow, and not one penny of the £200m National Wealth Fund can be unlocked without private investment.’
