The Scottish Government confirmed it would attend Monday’s Fife Council‑led summit, and UK representatives have been asked to join Tuesday’s Scottish Government taskforce.
READ MORE: ExxonMobil: Fife Ethylene Plant at Mossmorran to close
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes had proposed to meet with bosses at the Fife ethylene site on Tuesday, 25, also inviting GMB union, Unite, UK Government, Fife Council, Fife College, the Scottish National Investment Bank and local MSPs to attend.
However, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander then invited Forbes to join a group led by Fife Council, and to attend a meeting of local business leaders set for Monday, 24.
Just last week, the energy giant, ExxonMobil, announced it was set to close its Mossmorran site in February, with 179 directly employed jobs at risk alongside those of 250 contractors.
The company said the Fife plant did not have a future in the current economic and policy environment and cited “high supply costs” as a reason for closure.
Ahead of the Scottish Government summit, Ms Forbes said: “Our immediate priority is to explore ways to retain employment at the site and support the workforce through this period of uncertainty.
READ MORE: Politicians react to Exxonmobil closure at Mossmorran
“I look forward to visiting the site and engaging with workforce representatives and the company. The chief executive of Scottish Enterprise (Adrian Gillespie) will join me, so that we can move at pace to explore new investment opportunities.
“Last week, I informed the Scottish Parliament that I would convene a task force to consider new opportunities for the Mossmorran site and to prioritise the workforce.
“Since then, I have engaged extensively with the unions and Scottish Enterprise. I will announce further information about the taskforce imminently.
“In the meantime, this summit will bring together all the key stakeholders and I am keen that we consider every possible option to support the workforce at this distressing time.”
However, Mr Alexander wrote that he was “disappointed” in Ms Forbes for forming a “solely Scottish Government-led taskforce.”
He added: “There is, of course, an established precedent for the UK and Scottish governments working together in similar circumstances, given the jointly-led Grangemouth taskforce that was established previously.”
He said he would “ask that officials attend your discussions on Tuesday,” but believed “the workers at Mossmorran deserve better than your proposed approach.”
READ MORE: Unite calls for ExxonMobil to reconsider Mossmorran closure
The Scottish Government’s attendance at the talks comes ahead of it having criticised the UK Government for failing to support workers since April, and saying that a second task force by Fife Council would duplicate efforts.
However, on Monday, Ms Forbes said: “Any reports of conflict between the UK Government and the Scottish Government on the process to achieve that does a disservice to the workers.”
She also said the UK Government could take “urgent action to address the high cost of energy,” directly addressing the concerns of ExxonMobil bosses.
