First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to take action to ensure investment in Fife’s mothballed BiFab yards.
Shadow Scottish Secretary Lesley Laird has written to Ms Sturgeon calling on her to make sure the yards in Methil and Burntisland are competitive and able to play a role in the green industrial revolution.
The letter from the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Labour MP follows a series of meetings between Mrs Laird and BiFab owners DF Barnes, EDF Renewables and the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC).
It also comes ahead of Friday’s Ready for Renewal rally in Edinburgh.
Mrs Laird said: “Scotland has a real opportunity to be a world leader in renewables and at the forefront of a green industrial revolution if the political will is there to make it happen.
“We are in the midst of a climate change crisis and as a society we will have to change our way of life to ensure that we preserve our planet.”
She added: “I believe that the high-skilled, high-paid green jobs of the future should be right here in Scotland and that should start with the yards in BiFab.
“The skills are already there and have been for a long time but investment is required in the yards to make them competitive enough to win contracts in an increasingly competitive global market.”
Mrs Laird said the STUC Ready for Renewal campaign had the backing of the community but was unlikely to succeed without investment.
The Scottish Government said it had made a long-term investment in BiFab and was in regular contact with the company.
A spokesperson said: “It was clear at the point new ownership was secured that conditions would remain challenging for the yards and new contracts would have to be won to secure future work.
“Scottish Government Ministers are in regular dialogue with industry stakeholders and we have confidence that everything possible is being done to secure new contracts and to restore employment at the yards.”
The Scottish Government has a minority shareholding in BiFab after helping broker a deal with DF Barnes in a buyout in April last year.
Since then, the yards have been unable to secure work and Friday’s rally is aimed at persuading French energy firm EDF Renewables to award BiFab a lucrative wind farm contract.
