GMB Says ‘There Is Still Hope But Time Is Of The Essence’ In Battle For Bifab
GMB Says ‘There Is Still Hope But Time Is Of The Essence’ In Battle For Bifab
GMB Scotland has today (Tuesday 13 February) said that there is ‘still hope’ for troubled fabrication firm BiFab but that ‘time is of the essence’ to deliver critical investment and contracts that would save hundreds of jobs.
Redundancy notices have been issued to workers at the yards in Arnish on the Isle of Lewis and Burntisland and Methil in Fife, starting a statutory 45 day consultation process.
However, talks between the Scottish Government and potential new investors remain on-going and trade union representatives will meet with the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown MSP, against next week.
GMB is also reiterating its call for the Scottish Government to work with the BiFab trade unions to ensure that Scottish manufacturing yards can properly compete for renewable infrastructure projects in future, helping to deliver more growth and stability across the struggling sector.
GMB Scotland Organiser Alan Ritchie said: “The battle for BiFab continues. All is not lost and there is still hope but time is of the essence.
Next week, we have a crunch meeting with the Scottish Government and thereafter we will have a better understanding about new investment coming into the yards and the long term future.
We have always been clear that our yards should not be struggling and what we need is an industrial strategy to end the feast and famine in contract work that plagues our manufacturing sector.
There is also a long-term responsibility on our politicians to ensure that never again does our manufacturing sector end up with less than three per cent of the value from a £2.6 billion infrastructure project.
But the immediate challenge is straightforward: All parties involved need to pull together again to defend these workers and their communities because letting them go under is not an option.
Nobody should be under any illusions about how tough this is on our members and their families but everything that can be done to secure the future of Arnish, Burntisland and Methil is being done."
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Contact: GMB Scotland Organiser Alan Ritchie on 07813 541791 or Peter Welsh, GMB Scotland Communications, on 07976 447077.
