LONDON—Polymers and chemicals major Versalis plans to close its elastomers production plant in Grangemouth, Scotland, with the loss of 135 direct jobs.
In a statement Dec. 14 Dec, Scottish MP Gillian Mackay called for "urgent talks with stakeholders and workers" to investigate how to protect the future of the plant.
"This will be devastating news for workers…," she said. "I am asking for urgent updates from the site owners and unions as to what else might be done.
"We cannot have a situation where businesses opt to just up sticks and leave, abandoning the staff and the community that have supported them loyally and skillfully over the years, without exhausting every possible alternative solution."
Operational since 1963, the plant in Grangemouth has listed capacity to produce 80,000 metric tons per year of polybutadiene and 60,000 tons of SBR.
In a statement to local press, Versalis said the decision was made "due to worsening conditions of the elastomers market, declining sales, increasing costs and negative outlook."
A phased closure process, Versalis told Argus Media, will begin in the coming months toward completion in April 2024.
Meanwhile, the GMB trade union has responded to reports that the Grangemouth refinery is to close, transitioning from domestic production to a fuel import terminal.
The move, it said, could impact the United Kingdom's energy security, as well as have implications for manufacturing sectors in the country.
"This is a deeply worrying time for the future of the workers and communities dependent on Grangemouth," said Gary Smith, general secretary of GMB.
"Time and again, GMB has said the U.K. needs a plan and not bans for better energy independence and prosperity," Smith added.
