FIRST Minister John Swinney has responded after Ferguson Marine announced plans to cut nearly a quarter of its total workforce through a voluntary redundancy scheme.
The publicly-owned shipyard announced plans to shed up to 70 staff earlier this week, blaming an “inevitable gap” in work as it prepares to handover the second of two delayed and overbudget ferries.
Graeme Thomson, the yard’s chief executive, said completing the Glen Rosa – which along with its already-in-service sister ship the Glen Sannox is years late and almost four times its original cost – is the “immediate focus”.
The Scottish Government has long had a policy barring compulsory redundancies in the public sector and speaking to the Press Association on Thursday, Swinney said he would like to see the same applied to the workforce at the Port Glasgow yard, adding he “very much regrets” the job losses and that ministers “do not want to see” compulsory redundancies.
“The Government obviously has a policy in relation to not pursuing compulsory redundancies and we do not want to see that applied in these circumstances,” he said.
The yard has struggled to win orders in recent years, raising fears about its viability.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government announced plans to directly award the building of four smaller vessels to Ferguson, which Swinney said is a “priority” for ministers.
“The Government’s given that commitment for that work to go to Ferguson Marine, and while I regret the redundancies that are being taken forward, it’s vital that the yard is sustainable and the contracts from the Scottish Government will assist in that process,” he said.
The yard has been at the centre of political controversy since it was saved from administration in 2019 by the Scottish Government, with repeated delays and cost-overruns, as well as leadership turmoil.
The Scottish Government has consistently said it hopes to eventually return the yard to the private sector.
Ferguson Marine was nationalised in 2019 and is the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde.
The shipyard delivered the MV Glen Sannox in November 2024, with the MV Glen Rosa due for completion by the end of this year.
The Port Glasgow firm currently employs 283 staff, including 34 apprentices.
