Conrad Landin
n By Conrad Landin and Amanda Campbell
Fighting tooth and nail – Unite on the march
Insulation shop steward Iain Nicol stressed the need for a new approach from management that ensures new apprentices are taken on as a matter of urgency.
“There’s a skill gap,” he said. “They’ve not been taking on apprenticeships in the past 20 years and now you’ve got at one end of the scale, people in their 60s, and then the next people are in their 30s, so there’s a big gap there as well.
“We know they can make aircraft fuel, which they’re not willing to carry on and do. Our members, we’ve maybe lost over a hundred insulators, and it will be a big impact.
“Because of the uncertainly, everyone’s moving on to other jobs because they’re high in demand right now. Insulators are high in demand right now, and they’re not being replaced. So it will be a big impact obviously now on the insulation side.”
With the loss of skilled workers, the maintenance itself becomes more difficult – compromising the site’s future viability.
“The maintenance is very low in the plan, they’re just not willing to spend any money,” Nicol noted.
Unite Scotland secretary Derek Thomson said, “We’ll be fighting tooth and nail to defend every single job, and also defend this community. The Grangemouth complex is at the heart of this community, and we must protect those jobs.”
Back to the announcement and Unite’s vow to fight for all Grangemouth jobs. “This dedicated workforce has been let
down by PetroIneos and by the politicians in Westminster and Holyrood who have failed to guarantee production until alternative jobs are in place,” said Sharon Graham.
“The government must put its money where its mouth is to ensure the jobs are safeguarded. This is the only refinery left in Scotland and it must remain.”
Sharon concluded, “This is yet another example of workers paying for a crisis they did not create while billionaire owners laugh all the way to the bank.”
Defiant – workers stand firm 11 unite buildingWORKER Autumn 2024
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