A powerful union has demanded a halt to work on the new Forth crossing following a dramatic twist in the row over foreign contracts.
Steel workers union Community wrote to First Minister Alex Salmond to express ”shock” that no Scottish steel will be used in the £1.5 billion bridge and question claims no domestic firm was suitable for the work.
There was fury last week when it emerged the £790 million contract for the 37,000 tonnes of steel needed has been awarded to Chinese, Polish and Spanish firms. Transport Minister Keith Brown said no Scottish firm had bid for the work and insisted the deal represented the best value for the public purse.
But a spokesman for Community raised questions about the tendering process and told The Courier he believes the Tata Steel Europe Plant in Dalzell had been involved in a consortium bid for the work.
Community’s general secretary, Michael Leahy, called for the procurement process to be paused while a review is carried out.
His letter to Mr Salmond said: ”I was shocked to hear that no Scottish, or UK, steel would be used as part of this flagship infrastructure project and I was confused to see the statement that ‘no Scottish firms bid’ to supply the steel.
”Community is of the opinion that the procurement process should be halted while a review is conducted. It seems clear that there has been an over emphasis on cost at the expense of a focus on value to Scottish industries and communities.”
He said union members working for Tata Steel were ”shocked and angered” as they believe their site has the ability to carry out the work.
He added: ”I am sure our members in Dalzell, Clydebridge and other areas involved in public procurement would welcome reassurances that the Scottish Government aims to learn the lessons from this sorry episode.”
Labour Mid Scotland and Fife MSP John Park it was vital the Forth crossing project brought jobs and investment to Scotland.
”The test for the consortium building the bridge is to ensure that Scottish workers get jobs, training and apprenticeship opportunities from this huge project,” he said. ”If they don’t, they can expect a serious backlash from people not just here in Fife but across Scotland.”
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: ”The reality is that Scottish steel manufacturers simply did not bid to provide steel for the Forth Replacement Crossing.
”The FRC project will support 1,200 Scottish jobs and secure an additional 3,000 more. Specific requirements have also been built into the main contracts to ensure regular opportunities for the Scottish economy.
”Ministers would clearly wish to see Scottish firms benefit from any contracts available and have taken steps to ensure all subcontracts are clearly advertised under the Public Contracts Scotland website which allows the main contractors to identify any local contractors who can carry out other important parts of the work.”
Transport Scotland argues that the rigorous procurement process it has set up could save taxpayers nearly £1bn compared with initial estimates on the cost of the bridge. The total bill is now expected to come in at between £1.4bn and £1.6bn, well below previous estimates of £2.3bn.
Officials also point out that they have to follow EU rules on tendering which stipulate that any company across the single market can bid for contracts.
The new bridge is expected to be built by 2016 and will replace the current Forth Road Bridge as the main crossing for cross-Forth traffic.
Tata Steel could not be contacted for comment.