Grangemouth workers rally to save oil refinery jobs

Trade union Unite said all eyes were on Grangemouth today as campaigners take to the streets

Campaigners have rallied in Grangemouth in a bid to secure the future of the oil refinery.

Refinery owners Petroineos have set out plans to cease operations at Grangemouth by 2025, putting 400 jobs at risk with more job losses in the wider supply chain.

Trade union Unite said hundreds of supporters from all over Scotland marched to support the 'Keep Grangemouth Working' campaign.

They gathered at Grangemouth stadium before marching to Zetland Park for a rally.

Speaking to BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme ahead of the march, Unite organiser Lorna Robertson said all eyes were on Grangemouth on Saturday.

"We’ve seen a change in the last few months since we’ve had a new UK government and a new first minister in Scotland," she said.

"The general secretary of Unite has been having positive talks with the new UK government and ourselves up here with the Scottish government and I think there is a willingness now to work with the company to see if the life span of the refinery can be extended.

"We want to bring together everyone who has supported our campaign, the community of Grangemouth have been really positive about the campaign and there's been a real willingness to come together, so this is the act of coming together today," she added.

Grangemouth is one of six refineries in the UK and the only one in Scotland.

It is the oldest refinery in the UK. It opened in the 1920s, expanded into petrochemicals in the 1950s, and is in need of an expensive overhaul.

It accounts for about 14% of the UK's overall refining capacity and supplies almost two-thirds (65%) of demand for refined oil products in Scotland.

While the petrochemical plant is wholly owned by Ineos, the refinery is owned by Petroineos - a joint venture between Ineos and PetroChina.

It is currently the primary supplier of aviation fuel for Scotland's main airports, and a major supplier of petrol and diesel ground fuels across the central belt.

Petroineos announced its intention to shut down the refinery in November, saying Grangemouth had been facing significant challenges because of global market pressures.

Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay said workers at Grangemouth are some of the most skilled and talented in the country

Market changes

Ineos said the plant is competing with newer and more efficient refineries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

A company spokesman said: "In the medium term we forecast dramatically reduced demand for key fuels we produce. We are seeing this in the market today as a result of more efficient engines and transport electrification initiatives.

"This will accelerate following the ban on new build petrol and diesel cars coming into effect in 2030 in Scotland."

Petroineos plans to transform the refinery into an import terminal for fuel from other countries.

About 2,000 people are directly employed at the site including 500 at the refinery, 450 on the Forties pipeline from the North Sea and a further 1,000 in the Ineos petrochemicals business.

Some 100 staff would be needed for the planned fuels import terminal - which Petroineos said would be able to bring petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and kerosene into Scotland.

It said the timescale for the transition had "not yet been determined". The work was expected to take about 18 months.

Petroineos said it was working closely on the project with a "range of interested parties" including the Scottish and UK governments and would provide more information in due course.

Grangemouth refinery is one of only six UK oil refineries and the only one in Scotland

'Fair transition'

Scottish Green MSP for Central Scotland, Gillian Mackay, grew up near the refinery and said workers at Grangemouth are some of the most talented and skilled anywhere in Scotland.

She said: “What has happened recently at Grangemouth is the exact opposite of a just and fair transition for workers.

“We need the Scottish and UK governments to work with trade unions and the community to do everything they can to end the instability and support local people.

“The just transition can’t be a slogan, it has to provide real jobs and opportunities, and Grangemouth can and must be a blueprint of that collaborative and managed transition in action.”

A spokesperson for the department of energy, security and net zero said: “We’re determined to do all we can in seeking a future for the Grangemouth site.

“We will be immediately funding work to explore options for a sustainable future for the site, working side-by-side with the Scottish government and the local community.”