JOHN Swinney has pledged to explore “any and all viable options” to save jobs at an imperilled Scottish bus manufacturer.
The Scottish Government has today confirmed it is looking at a rescue package it thinks could save jobs at Alexander Dennis – but said details were being kept under wraps due to “commercial sensitivity”.
The firm has threatened to end its manufacturing operations in Scotland by closing its sites in Larbert and Falkirk, putting 400 jobs on the line.
It is planning to centralise its operations in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
In a statement, Swinney indicated that a package of new work to keep jobs in Scotland was being explored.
He said: “Scottish Ministers place the utmost importance on the presence of Alexander Dennis in Scotland and the retention of its highly skilled manufacturing workers.
“The Scottish Government has committed to exploring any and all viable options throughout the consultation period to allow the firm to retain its skilled employees and manufacturing and production facilities.
“While I cannot provide details due to commercial sensitivity at this time, I hope this update provides the workforce and local community with further assurance that the Scottish Government remains wholly committed to supporting the future of bus manufacturing in Scotland.
“We will undertake this work in tandem with every other short, medium and long-term opportunity we continue to explore in close collaboration with the company, Unite, GMB, Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland and the UK Government.”
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes is meeting unions GMB and Unite to discuss the proposal while [[Transport]] Secretary Fiona Hyslop attends a meeting of the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel in London focusing on the future pipeline of zero-emission bus orders.
It was reported earlier this month that a consultation with the workforce on job losses would be extended for another fortnight to explore ways of keeping jobs in Scotland.
There have also been proposals to put staff on a furlough scheme to retain jobs in Scotland before work on new orders came in.
Unite's regional secretary for Scotland Derek Thomson previously told a Holyrood committee that the closure of Alexander Dennis's Scottish operations would be "catastrophic" for the local area.
The threat of closure has already spilled into the Scottish economy, with Greenfold Systems Ltd, based in Dunfermline, Fife, closing because a major proportion of its operations were involved with the troubled bus firm.
A total of 81 jobs were lost after the "loss of a major contract", administrators said.
The threatened closure has become a major political issue, with Scottish Labour accusing the SNP of failing to do enough to support the firm.
Anas Sarwar has repeatedly criticised John Swinney of having done "nothing" to save jobs, pointing out that the [[SNP]] were ordering "buses from China, instead of from Scotland".
But it later emerged that in Labour-run Edinburgh, where the buses are municipally owned by the council, had not bought buses from Alexander Dennis in the last three years.
