Workers made redundant after the closure of the Grangemouth refinery will be given priority for new roles created through the Scottish Government’s £25 million Just Transition Fund, First Minister John Swinney announced on Wednesday.
The new Grangemouth Jobs Prioritisation Scheme, developed in partnership with Unite the Union, will make it a condition for any business receiving investment from the Fund to prioritise eligible Grangemouth workers during recruitment. The measure is designed to retain skilled energy workers as Scotland transitions to a low-carbon economy.
Scottish Enterprise, which administers the Fund, is working with both the Scottish and UK governments to attract new investment to the site. The First Minister said the initiative reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring the energy transition does not leave communities behind.
“Supporting the just transition to a low carbon economy is one of our highest priorities for government,” Swinney said. “The Grangemouth Jobs Prioritisation Scheme – developed in partnership with Unite – is a concrete example of this, helping workers secure new opportunities and ensuring their vital experience and knowledge are not lost to Grangemouth and to Scotland.”
Unite’s Scottish Secretary Susan Fitzgerald welcomed the move but said more urgent action was needed to deliver the promised employment. “Unite has fought every day for the replacement of the highly-skilled jobs lost as a result of the refinery closing,” she said. “The pilot scheme will include a job interview guarantee for eligible workers. We understand this is a first across the UK.”
She added that the union expects rapid progress: “It is now time to deliver with urgency the promised new jobs and investment for the workers and people of Grangemouth if we are to achieve any resemblance of a genuine Just Transition.”
The scheme aims to balance Scotland’s energy transition goals with the economic and social needs of local communities, ensuring public investment directly supports displaced workers in one of the country’s most significant industrial regions.
Image tormentor4555, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Oh that promise will pay the bills, what a load of wishy washy weak net zero rubbish, I’m sure they will take heart from such an empty statement by those that let them loose thier jobs in the first place because of net zero and Ed Milibrain the eco zelot.
What does your car run on? Coal I presume.
My car runs on electricity. It’s good for 1 million miles and I charge it up on my driveway for free every night.
In 30 minutes I can get a 400 mile charge. It’s not possible to drive 400 miles in any direction from my house in the UK without falling off the island and landing in the sea and stoping for 30 minutes every 400 miles seems like a good idea.
My car does not to 60 in 3.1 seconds. How fast is yours?
My car doesn’t require me to buy dinosaur juice from the Russians and Arabs at a massive mark up supporting terrorists and the war in Ukraine. Its power comes from solar panels on my roof and some wind turbines so far off the coast I can’t see them.
That might keep your car running but what about the rest of the countries needs when EVERYTHING is supposed to run on electricity?
As for your ‘free’ electricity how long do you think it will be before the govt replace fuel duty with an electric surcharge for people charging at home? After all nothing is free is it?
Jacko, you might not have noticed as your typing in your computer but everything in the country already runs on electricity.
The electricity coming in to my house going to my TV is the same stuff going to my car. The government can’t tax one and noth the other.
I get most of my from the panels on my roof that I bought and paid for.
How do you think Ed Milliband is going to tax them?
EV’s Solar panels and wind turbines are machines like combustion engines and coal furnaces. They are just better machines because they are several hundred years newer people should stop calling them wishy washy or eco nonsense.
Was it wishy washy eco nonsense to change from coal powered traction engines to petrol powered combustion engines?
As to your super duper car,are they the cars that if you have an accident and the battery gets even slightly damaged the car is inevitably written off? Are these the cars recovery companies are charging insurance companies the earth to recover because they take up three times the space to store in recovery yards because they have a tendency to catch fire?and what will the result of that be higher insurance costs maybe?
Yep all progress I suppose but you still had to pay for those panels in the beginning didn’t you?
Are these the wind farms that have to be turned off when the wind blows to hard and we still have to pay the owners for electricity they are not even producing,same as solar panels no sun no electricity.still the company gets paid! What an excellent deal that is!
What jobs will there be up there in Scotland,panels built in China,turbines not made here either so they won’t make them will they? This headlong rush to supposedly net zero has not really been thought through at all its madness!
No Jacko, where did you hear that?
My cars fully insured and it’s cheaper than petrol and same price as diesel to insure. I’m guessing my insurance company knows what it’s doing.
Where did you get your info on right offs, I have never heard of this.
29/3/23 Driving Instructors Association for one,Google for anther multiple threads,
I would link them but that doesn’t work on here to well.
Just had a quick Google if your solar panels cost the average of £7000 you will take approximately 10yrs before you recuperate that cost so it’s not ‘free’ at all is it?
Hello Jacko.
A case study.
A typical recent “DIY” Off Grid (seperate system not grid linked) set up including
16 x 200w Panels. (various aspects)
4 x 4000w Inverters. (4000-8000w)
4 x Victron Solar Charge Controllers.
Cables and Connectors.
Circuit breakers.
6 x 300ah Lifepo Batteries.
Cost £3600 (plus fitting if not DIY)
This customer had monthly bills averaging £300 (@£3600 PA) They have had 6 months use and paid @ £240 for mains inc standing charge.
Last years 6 month period = @£1800
This years 6 months = £240.
Winter months still provide power but at a much reduced rate.
We estimate @3 years to re-coup the Initial outlay.
It’s not for everyone I agree but It certainly does work for many.
We are talking about a DIY Off Grid set up here not a Grid Linked one so costs will differ depending upon the equipment and Wattage requirements.
I’m currently sat in our Motorhome typing this, which is powered by Solar all year round.
I also ride a Sur-Ron Electric Motorbike (one of 7 bikes)which is charged via the Solar and all our Lights are Solar too.
Not interested in Electric cars though, I’m a petrol head through and through so love the noise and power delivery of a decent engine either car or Bike.
Nothing is free but Solar (and wind) do make sense in so many ways.
I hear you about loving the noise of a petrol engine.
I personally love my son who is 12 years old and I decided that the noise of a petrol engine is worth giving up if it means he has a chance of living in a world as nice as the one I grew up in and I don’t see how that’s possible when we are pumping 40 billion tonnes of smoke into the atmosphere each year. Where do you think all the smoke goes?
I also like the vast near infinite levels of torque and acceleration my EV generates completely silently compared to a noisy and embarrassingly slow petrol engine puffing away with its cogs and gears piloted by an old man in a flat cap with suit on his face telling me that “a bit coal” can brush my teeth. 😀
Much the same as I choose to go on holiday on an aircraft with a RR Trent jet engine as opposed to a RR Merlin.
It’s just a better machine that happens to be infinitely more fuel efficient, quieter and safer.
What the marginal cost of solar electricity Jacko? Try asking google.
Really, wow, not many charging points in high lands thst why I have a hybrid. Takes 2 minutes to fill my car. But really who cares? We are all just getting by with less money in our pockets. Green taxes what great idea for industry. ?
Even though so called green energy isn’t working. Brilliant.