Council and local politicians pledge support for BiFab

The move comes as redundancy notices were issued to workers at the engineering firm last week and talks with unions have been ongoing since in a bid to save the yards in Burntisland and Methil.

Fife Council leaders David Ross and David Alexander met with trade union representatives on Monday night to pledge local authority support in the battle for new investment in the industry.

Council leader David Ross said: “We had a very productive meeting with trade unions last night and we have invited them to address a meeting of the full council on Thursday to outline the ongoing work to save BiFab.

“We are appealing to both the Scottish and UK governments to use all influence available within the off-shore wind development industry and give firms like BiFab maximum opportunity to secure future work.”

Co-council leader David Alexander added: “As a council we give our whole-hearted support to the fight to save this incredibly important asset to Fife’s economy. Time is now of the essence to make sure the workforce are supported towards a secure future.”

Meanwhile, MSPs questioned Keith Brown, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, on the issue in the Scottish Parliament chamber on Tuesday.

Kirkcaldy SNP MSP David Torrance said: “It was encouraging to hear of the Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment to avoiding redundancies at all three yards. Officials will continue to work together to explore potential avenues for inward investment, and towards a positive solution for the company.

“I will continue to do everything I can to support BiFab and its highly skilled workforce.”

Green MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Mark Ruskell called on the Government and Scottish Enterprise to invest in training and reskilling programmes to help secure future contracts.