John Swinney has been challenged to save jobs at a publicly-owned shipyard by fulfilling an SNP promise to build more vessels there.
Ferguson Marine stunned workers this week when the Port Glasgow business announced plans to axe a quarter of its staff.
The yard - which was nationalised by the SNP Government at huge expense in 2019 - has struggled for years to complete two complex large car ferries ordered by Caledonian MacBrayne in 2015.
The second of the ferries, the Glen Rosa, is due to finally be handed over by the end of the year.
Hopes for new contracts
Hopes for a brighter future at Fergusons were raised in March when Kate Forbes, the then Deputy First Minister, announced the SNP's intention to directly award the yard the contracts to build two smaller ferries, as well as two fisheries support vessels - but the contract has yet to be signed off.
Martin McCluskey, the Labour MP for Inverclyde, has now written to Swinney to challenge him to save jobs. The First Minister is expected to visit the area next week.
The MP said: "The announcement that up to 70 jobs are at risk at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow is deeply worrying for the workers involved, their families and the wider Inverclyde economy.
"These redundancies are being proposed because the yard faces a gap in its workload while it waits for the contracts which your government has already said it intends to award.
"That should never have been allowed to happen. You know Ferguson Marine and its importance to Inverclyde particularly well. You were involved in the original taskforce established to secure the future of the yard more than a decade ago. You know what decisive government intervention can achieve.
"Your government announced, before the Scottish Parliament election, that it intended to directly award Ferguson Marine work for four new vessels. Months later, we are still waiting while skilled workers face losing their jobs.
"I believe you should provide a clear commitment and timetable for concluding that process, awarding the contracts and getting work underway. You should also set out what immediate action the Scottish Government will take to retain the skills and workforce at the yard during the gap in production.
"A government owned shipyard should not be losing skilled workers for want of work that the same government has already said it intends to give it."
First Minister responds
Speaking on a visit to Dundee today, the First Minister said he "very much regrets" the job losses.
"The Government obviously has a policy in relation to not pursuing compulsory redundancies and we do not want to see that applied in these circumstances," he added.
Swinney continued: "The Government’s given that commitment for that work to go to Ferguson Marine, and while I regret the redundancies that are being taken forward, it’s vital that the yard is sustainable and the contracts from the Scottish Government will assist in that process."
Graeme Thomson, the yard’s chief executive, said completing the Glen Rosa – which along with its already-in-service sister ship the Glen Sannox is years late and almost four times its original cost – is the "immediate focus".
He added: "Our immediate focus is entirely on the voluntary redundancy process and we anticipate that we will achieve the required number of redundancies through that process.
"It would be premature to speculate on further outcomes while we actively consult with our team and trade union representatives to achieve the best result for everyone."
Fergusons, which opened in 1904, previously specialised in building smaller ferries, tugs and oil industry support vessels.
The Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox are by far the largest vessels built at the yard.
