Researchers at the University of Glasgow have contributed to a new report setting out the next steps to support people at Grangemouth, one of the UK’s biggest industrial sites, as operations are decarbonised.

Dr Ewan Gibbs and Riyoko Shibe, of the School of Social & Political Sciences, joined Scotland’s Just Transition Commission to record the perspectives of workers at the industrial site and their aspirations for a fair future. Both researchers went on to produce the research element of the report.

Following UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s description of Grangemouth as “a real priority”, it was recently announced that Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, will co-chair the Grangemouth Future Industry Board’s (GFIB) Leadership Forum along with Gillian Martin, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy.

The Just Transition Commission has now shared the report with Ed Miliband and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, welcoming “a positive strategic reset” in the relationship between Holyrood and Westminster.

The Commission urged the new UK Government and Scottish Government to not only support those whose current livelihoods are on the line, but also deliver tangible results for young people and the local community through a serious and detailed long-term plan. “The retention of jobs and the local skills base on an intergenerational basis must be the core strategic aim of Grangemouth’s just transition plan” states the report.

Dr Ewan Gibbs, historian of energy, industry, work and protest, said: “The Grangemouth workers we interviewed have demonstrated decades of commitment to their workplace and industry, but they are also ready and willing to consider comparable employment in manufacturing and renewable energy sectors. They feel disappointed in their employer over the refinery closure announcement, but also badly let down by both the UK and Scottish governments.

“Only action that delivers a clear pathway to sustain secure local employment of a similar or higher quality than presently on offer at the refinery will change that.”

Key recommendations made by the report include a just transition plan for Grangemouth that must earn the trust of workers and community. This will be the first in a rapidly developed series of just transition plans for Scotland’s highest emitting sites.

It also calls for a new intergenerational social contract to safeguard young people and their community’s future, and argues that Grangemouth needs a new economic model that goes well beyond the refinery, leveraged to deliver enduring community benefit.

The Commission, an independent expert advisory group with members drawn from business, industry, trade unions, environmental and community groups and academia, says Grangemouth is a “litmus test” for whether climate goals can be achieved in a fair way.

Following the announcement in November 2023 of plans to close the refinery, the Commission said Grangemouth is clearly at risk of an unmanaged transition as seen previously in coal and steel. It recommends that plans for Grangemouth’s future need to include specific mechanism to ensure the local community benefits directly from industrial activity, not only through job numbers, and to make positive use of the government’s leverage in negotiations with industry.

First published: 18 July 2024

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