Scotland's state-owned shipyard to cut a quarter of its workforce
The state-owned yard on the Clyde will lose 70 of its 283 staff through a voluntary redundancy process.
Scotland's state-owned shipyard, Ferguson Marine, plans to reduce its workforce by a quarter through voluntary redundancy. The company currently employs 247 core staff, 31 agency workers, and 32 apprentices, but expects to let go of 70 positions. The Scottish government has promised new orders for four smaller ships, but ministers are still conducting due diligence on the plan.
Ferguson Marine states that these job cuts are necessary to ensure the shipyard's long-term viability. However, unions describe the move as a betrayal of a blameless workforce. The company recently completed work on the second of two delayed CalMac ferries, and its CEO, Graeme Thomson, emphasized the importance of completing the vessel before facing a gap in workload.
The Scottish government announced plans to award contracts for four future vessels, including two small CalMac ferries, a fisheries research ship, and a marine protection vessel, but none of these contracts have been confirmed. Ferguson Marine's role in shipbuilding on the Clyde is crucial, and the shipyard has a long history of producing more than 360 ships since its founding in 1903.
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