ALBA have laid a wreath "on behalf of Scottish Labour" to mark the end of oil refining at Grangemouth after MSPs rejected proposals to give the oil refinery equal protections to Scunthorpe's British Steel works.
Kenny MacAskill, Alba Party leader, independent Falkirk councillor Brian McCabe, and independent Grangemouth councillor Bob Spears, laid a wreath near the refinery on Friday morning.
The "Tombstone from Scottish Labour" reads: "In loving memory of Grangemouth Refinery, 1924-2025. With sympathy from Scottish Labour.
"Our thoughts are with Scunthorpe."
The move comes after not one Labour MSP backed a motion urging the UK Government to intervene to save Grangemouth in the way it had Scunthorpe.
Some 61 SNP MSPs and 30 Scottish Tory MSPs backed the motion. However, 17 Labour MSPs rejected it, and five failed to vote.
The 17 Labour MSPs who voted against it were Alex Rowley, Anas Sarwar, Carol Mochan, Claire Baker, Colin Smyth, Daniel Johnson, Foysol Choudhury, Katy Clark, Mark Griffin, Martin Whitfield, Mercedes Villalba, Neil Bibby, Pam Duncan-Glancy, Paul O'Kane, Paul Sweeney, Rhoda Grant and Sarah Boyack.
The Greens and LibDems also supported the motion with the Government. Alba's Ash Regan did not vote.
MacAskill said: “The ending of oil refining, after 100 years, at Grangemouth is a seminal moment. Scotland is now the only major oil producing nation to be without its own oil refining capacity. The workers were promised that their jobs would be safe if they voted Labour at the 2024 Election.
"The promises made have been broken and the workers at Grangemouth have been cynically cast aside. Oil refining at Grangemouth has been sacrificed while steel making at Scunthorpe has been saved.
"Scottish Labour will never be forgiven by the workers, their families and the local community for this betrayal.”
Spears, councillor for Grangemouth, said: “The workers of Grangemouth have no quarrel with the workforce at Scunthorpe but are rightly angry that their jobs were not worth saving, in the eyes of the UK Government while the plant at Scunthorpe was.
"The workers and community of Grangemouth will never trust Labour again.”
Scottish Labour have been contacted for comment.
