Union urges Scottish and UK ministers to work together to protect jobs at troubled shipbuilding firm

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A trade union has urged UK and Scottish ministers to work together to protect hundreds of skilled jobs at a troubled shipbuilding firm.GMB Scotland has called for urgent talks after the UK government refused to guarantee £200m of loans to Harland & Wolff.The union has written to ministers at Holyrood and Westminster asking for swift and joint action to ensure the future of the yards in Methil and Arnish is a priority for the company’s new management.The company, which built the Titanic, employs around 1,500 workers across the UK, including staff at the two Scottish fabrication sites.GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour said the Scots yards support almost 400 jobs and must be central to talks on the company’s future.She has written written to the Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, deputy first minster Kate Forbes and UK government minister Sarah Jones to raise the issue of the Scottish yards.Gilmour said: “The recent history of the Scots yards has been one of squandered opportunities.

The workers are skilled, committed and blameless for the ongoing uncertainty around their yards.“They deserve every possible support from ministers on both sides of border who must work urgently management and unions to find a secure way forward.“There are many options to protect these yards, including in the manufacture of wind turbines and other renewable energy infrastructure.“If talk of a just transition is ever to be more than empty words, these workers and their yards must have a secure future as part of a new industrial strategy for Scotland.”She continued: “It is not enough just for the yards to survive, they must be supported to thrive.“The Scottish Government has committed £500m to anchoring renewable supply chains in Scotland while