EXCLUSIVE: Unite blasted Labour ministers over what it claimed were “misleading and disingenuous” attempts to win plaudits for a deal the union negotiated with Petroineos.

A trade union has accused the UK Government of trying to take credit for a redundancy package offered to Grangemouth workers.

Around 400 staff will receive a pay-out worth 18 months’ wages when they lose their jobs at Scotland’s last remaining oil refinery in the coming weeks.

Unite today hit out at Labour ministers over what it claimed were “misleading and disingenuous” attempts to win plaudits for a deal the union negotiated with owners Petroineos.

Derek Thomson, the union’s Scottish chief, has now written to Ian Murray demanding an explanation.

It comes after Keir Starmer made reference to workers being offered 18 months of “income protection” while speaking at the recent Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow.

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In his letter to Murray, Thomson said: “Since the UK Government are not party to the separate redundancy agreement exclusively negotiated by Unite with PetroIneos, and therefore it is not part of any comprehensive package from government, I am seeking clarity on the terms of the income support referenced by ministers which would supplement Unite’s existing agreement with the company and others in the wider complex.”

The refinery at Grangemouth is already in the process of being shut-down after owners Petroineos announced in 2023 it was no longer economically viable.

Speaking to the Record, Thomson added: “The Prime Minister, with great fanfare at the Scottish Labour Party conference, announced £200m from the National Wealth Fund for Grangemouth and he specifically said that the workforce will receive an 18-month income support package.

“Anas Sarwar also repeated this income support pledge – but we have still not received any clarity from the UK Government and Scottish Labour around this pledge.

“Unite has negotiated a package for refinery workers being forced out the door because of this catastrophic closure.

“The workforce needs to know what government is exactly talking about, because if they are trying to claim any credit for what Unite has separately negotiated, it is misleading and disingenuous. It will be rightly seen by the workers as another false promise from politicians who have failed them.”

Bosses at Petroineos said yesterday that 377 staff have taken VR with a further 28 compulsory redundancies handed down.

Staff who lose their jobs this year are likely to have long moved on to other opportunities before fresh investment is brought to Scotland’s largest industrial site.

Project Willow – a report funded by both the Scottish and UK Governments – has laid out several potential options to create new jobs in the area in the future.

Unite has called for Grangemouth to be a hub for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – one of the options detailed in the report.

Experts said for such a scheme to be economically viable, a hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (Hefa) plant would need to be built by the early 2030s.

A UK Government spokesman said: “We know this is a concerning time for workers and their families and we are leaving no stone unturned to find a viable long-term future for Grangemouth.

“The UK Government is working alongside the Scottish Government and local partners to provide tailored skills support for the refinery workers, and through the transformational £100m Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal and £200m National Wealth Fund commitment we are investing to ensure a sustainable future for the local community.

“Work is taking place at pace to deliver this funding and secure the jobs and opportunities that will flow from it.”

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