DEPUTY First Minister Kate Forbes has pledged the Scottish Government will do “everything in its power” to help those whose jobs are “under threat” at Scotland’s only concrete plant.
The trade union GMB Scotland wrote to the Scottish Government warning them around a third of the overall workforce could be lost at Tarmac’s facility, just outside Dunbar, in East Lothian.
The plant, which makes around 700,000 tonnes of cement each year, is reportedly in talks with 41 workers over the potential job cuts.
The union argued in its letter to the Deputy First Minister that the facility is “critically important to the Scottish economy” and the jobs lost would not only affect communities in East Lothian but undermine Scotland’s manufacturing base.
Forbes has pledged that if there were any job losses at the plant the Scottish Government would support those affected by providing skills development and employability support in a bid to minimise their time out of employment.
“I was disappointed to learn of the potential job losses at the Tarmac site in Dunbar and strongly encourage the company to explore all available options to minimise redundancies,” she said.
“I will reply to the GMB union’s letter at the earliest opportunity.
“The people affected by this announcement are our immediate priority.
“Should there be job losses, the Scottish Government will do everything in its power to help those affected through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE). By providing skills development and employability support, PACE aims to minimise the time individuals affected by redundancy are out of work”
Stephen McGhee, GMB Scotland organiser, challenged the claims by the plant’s bosses that production levels can be maintained if the workers lose their jobs, the Scotsman reported.
McGhee also raised concern about health and safety implications of increasing pressure on a stretched workforce in the letter to Forbes.
“This may be the first step in deindustrialising the site with work, skills and taxes going elsewhere,” he said.
“With the widespread use of concrete, this would be another blow to Scotland’s manufacturing base and workforce.”
A spokesperson for Tarmac said: “A consultation process is underway with employees of the Dunbar Cement Plant as part of planned changes to the operational structure and practices within our Cement and Packing operations.
“The consultation is ongoing and we’re committed to conducting the process with transparency and fairness. There will be no final decisions until the consultation period ends.”
