Scottish Green MSPs John Finnie and Mark Ruskell have today written to the government’s economic development agencies urging them to step up efforts to secure new orders in light of warnings that the BiFab marine engineering yards in Fife and on Lewis could close by the end of June.
The Unite union says it expects 260 jobs to go, with redundancies beginning in May, and that it has been told that the decision will only be reversed if new contracts for work are signed.
The yards have been working on components for the £2.6bn Beatrice offshore windfarm in the Moray Firth.
Finnie and Ruskell, who represent the Western Isles and Fife, are asking the enterprise agencies to attend a cross-party meeting of MSPs to discuss what actions can be taken to support BiFab and the wider offshore renewables supply chain.
Mark Ruskell MSP, Energy spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said: “Scottish Enterprise and HIE must step up their engagement to ensure maximum support for the BiFab workforce both in the short-term and long-term. It’s not in the renewable industry’s interests for BiFab to go down, so all angles need to be covered in attempts to safeguard these valuable jobs in Fife, on Lewis and in the wider sector across Scotland.
“If we’re to reap the rewards of a low-carbon economy, we must ensure renewables are at the heart of energy policy with a commitment to zero carbon emissions by 2040 to help drive innovation and investment. I look forward to all parties and the enterprise agencies coming together to win the battle for BiFab.”