Calls for Scottish Government to stand up for Scotland's workers after BiFab decision

Scottish Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said the decision around the Seagreen was “deeply galling”

The BiFab yard in Burntisland

Scottish Labour have called on the Scottish Government to “stand up” for domestic jobs following the decision to send jobs constructing the multi-billion pound Seagreen off-shore wind farm abroad.

Rhoda Grant, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, has written to the economy Fiona Hyslop requesting more is done to ensure jobs for large infrastructure jobs are based locally.

BiFab, which has two yards in Fife and one in Stornoway and is partly owned by the Scottish government following a rescue package led by Canadian firm DF Barnes in 2018, failed to secure any of the work on the Seagreen wind farm being built off the east coast of Fife.

Instead, all of the platforms for the 114 wind turbines will be manufactured in China and the United Arab Emirates while the mothballed yards at Methil and Burntisland sit empty.

The Scottish Government had campaigned for BiFab to win the work, bu the operator SSE Renewables said the gap between the company’s bid and eventual contract winners Fluor Corporation was too big.

Ms Grant said the decision for the work to go abroad was “deeply galling” and called on new rules to be put in place to ensure similar issues do not happen in the future.

In a letter to economy minister, Ms Grant said: “Our natural assets belong to us all and it is simply wrong that companies gaining these wind farm licences do not use our local companies to fulfil the construction of these wind farms.

“We must harness the economic benefits of these projects and we have yards in Scotland able to deliver this work, who have the skills and infrastructure required, BiFab in Fife and the Isle of Lewis among them.”

Ms Grant added that there was a clear opportunity in the future to ensure jobs and major work such as Seagreen remained in Scotland and urged the Scottish Government to do more.

She said: “With Scotland set to be engulfed by a tsunami of unemployment and the need for a just transition to a green economy more urgent than ever, it is deeply galling that these much-needed jobs have gone to the Far East and to the UAE.

“BiFab workers in Fife and on the Isle of Lewis deserve a Scottish Government that stands up for them, not for foreign businesses.

“With the letting of Scotwind Licenses there is an opportunity to end this outsourcing, which damages our economy, local communities and the environment. Neither should these new licences be let to companies who have in the past refused to engage with the skilled workforce in Scotland.

When the contract announcement was made the Scottish Government insisted the BiFab bid had been competitive and said the decision was “disappointing”.

A spokesman said: “Overall, the Seagreen project will still bring economic benefits to Scotland. However, this would have been a good opportunity for SSE to demonstrate its support for the Scottish supply chain and create new jobs across Scotland.

“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting growth within the Scottish supply chain and to bringing new projects to Scotland.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director