Livingston Mitsubishi plant: John Swinney says Scottish Enterprise trying to prevent threatened 400 job losses
Scottish Enterprise is intervening in a bid to prevent the threatened loss of more than 400 jobs at Mitsubishi’s Livingston plant, First Minister John Swinney has told MSPs.
The Japanese firm plans to shed a quarter of its workforce at the West Lothian factory which makes heat pumps and air conditioning units, blaming a drop in demand from customers in Europe. The redundancies are scheduled to take place before the end of the year.
But the issue was raised at First Minister’s Questions in the Scottish Parliament by Edinburgh Pentlands SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald, who said the announcement could have “a significant social and economic impact” on people in his neigbouring constituency and beyond. He asked what engagement the Scottish Government had had with Mitsubishi and what support was in place for those at risk of redundancy.
Mr Swinney said he was concerned to hear of the company’s plan. “The factory is a significant and highly specialised asset in Scotland, and it is one that I have visited in the past.”
He said the Minister for Employment and Investment, Tom Arthur, had spoken to Mitsubishi to understand the rationale behind the company’s position and Scottish Enterprise was working closely with the company to consider all viable options.
Mr Swinney continued: “If we reach a point where there is any loss of employment, we will, of course, be in a position to support employees, but the intervention by Scottish Enterprise is designed to create a pathway to avoid that situation. The focused activities of Scottish Enterprise will be at the company’s disposal in order to avoid any loss of employment.”
Justice Secretary Angela Constance, whose Almond Valley constituency includes the plant, has said she is “deeply concerned” about the possible redundancies. “I will be engaging closely with both the Scottish Government and UK Government to ascertain whether anything can be done to minimise job losses, and to ensure that support reaches those who need it.”
And at Westminster, Livingston Labour MP Gregor Poynton also voiced concern and said he would be doing "everything possible" to protect the jobs and the future of the plant.
He said: "These are a highly skilled workforce creating world-leading products, air source heat pumps and air conditioning units, which are absolutely vital as we look to decarbonise our economy in the future. However, through no fault of their own, due to short-term economic pressures, they've seen their order book fall away."
Scotland Secretary Ian Murray said he would commit commit as a matter of priority to meeting with the company and workforce.