The state-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard has a “secure future”, John Swinney has insisted, as union leaders hit out a “baffling and deeply troubling” move which they claimed blocked the yard for bidding for the latest contract to build a new CalMac ferry.
The GMB union insisted it “beggars belief” that the Port Glasgow yard was unable to bid for the contract to build the replacement for the aging Lord of the Isles ferry.
It said eligibility rules set by ferries procurement agency Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) have, in effect, excluded UK shipbuilders – with yards bidding for the work expected to have completed two projects above a certain size within the past five years.
What we're talking about is a publicly-owned Scottish ferry overseen by a Scottish public body, where a publicly-owned shipyard has effectively been barred from even bidding to build it, and that beggars belief
As the Glen Rosa, the second of two delayed and overbudget ferries Fergusons is building for CalMac, is not yet complete, the union said it could not bid for the latest contract.
Robert Deavy, a senior organiser for GMB Scotland, branded the situation “baffling and deeply troubling”.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast, he said: “What we’re talking about is a publicly-owned Scottish ferry overseen by a Scottish public body, where a publicly-owned shipyard has effectively been barred from even bidding to build it, and that beggars belief.
“This replacement ferry for the Lord of the Isles is exactly the kind of contract that should be supporting the jobs, apprenticeships, skills, long-term economic values here at home.
“Because of this tendering process that they’ve created, it appears not just to shut out Ferguson Marine – which is horrendous news for Scottish shipbuilding – but UK yards altogether.
“What we’re going to be seeing here is more Scottish taxpayer money being used to support jobs somewhere else in the world – again, it’s baffling.”
Scottish Conservative transport spokeswoman Sue Webber was also critical, saying: “This decision underlines how Ferguson Marine has been run into the ground by SNP ministers.
“It’s galling that their botched nationalisation has left this once world-leading shipyard unable to win contracts both on the international market and even from SNP quangos.”
Liberal Democrat economy spokesman Jamie Greene said: “This feels like the final farcical fallout from the SNP’s pitiful management of our ferries.
“Because of their shameful mismanagement, the Glen Rosa is so late to be delivered that it cannot be used as evidence to support a bid for a contract from their own ferry building agency.
“It’s a slap in the face to the workers. The people of Inverclyde deserve better than this shambles.
“Scotland was a proud shipbuilding nation and the SNP have utterly ruined that reputation, at enormous cost to both shipyard workers and islanders.”
Mr Swinney however insisted the Scottish Government had supported Ferguson Marine by making a direct award of smaller vessels to the yard.
Speaking to the Press Association as he campaigned in Greenock, near the yard, the First Minister said: “The Scottish Government has already allocated two major vessels to the Ferguson Marine shipyard, the Glen Sannox which is now in service, and the Glen Rosa, which is approaching completion.
“But we have also allocated four more vessels to Fergusons which will provide the yard with a workload through direct award in the small vessels and also in marine patrol vessels.
“The Scottish Government is making it abundantly clear that Fergusons has got a secure future because it will have a workload delivered by the Scottish Government.”
He added the Government had “explored” whether a direct award could be made to Fergusons for the replacement vessel for the Lord of the Isles, but “for a whole variety of technical reasons” this was not possible.
But he insisted: “What we are able to make sure is that a number of vessel contracts go to Fergusons and that is what the Scottish Government has already set out to Parliament.”