The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
New nail in coffin of Fife BiFab yards as more jobs go.
Unions hit out at new Canadian owners, as just seven workers remain across BiFab’s three Scottish yards
Further redundancies at the BiFab yards in Fife and Lewis were confirmed yesterday in what was described as a “dark day” for the Scottish economy.
In May 35 members of the remaining 43-strong workforce of the fabricator were issued with redundancy notices, which have now expired.
Just seven part-time staff will oversee the maintenance and security of the yards and assets in Burntisland, Methil and Arnish.
At its peak, BiFab employed a core workforce of 400 and a further 1,000 contractors.
The company hit financial problems late last year as a major subsea jackets contract for the Beatrice windfarm – the only significant order on its books – moved towards completion.
The rescue of the company was hailed when new buyer JV Driver acquired the business through its DF Barnes subsidiary in April.
However, the industrial construction giant made further cuts to staff as the firm had no work coming in to sustain the remaining “core” staff.
GMB Scotland organiser Alan Ritchie yesterday hit out at the Canadian firm.
He said: “We were promised a bright future by the new owners but the cold, hard truth is that these yards are now closed until new orders can be secured.
“Jam tomorrow is of no use to our members and their families. This is a dark day for Fife and Lewis, and for the Scottish economy.
“Whether there is any light in the weeks and months to come remains to be seen.”
It is understood that 12 managers from the original BiFab business will be retained by the new owners.
Unite Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said he remains optimistic about the future of the yards.
He said: “Unite is disappointed that despite the fanfare last year following the takeover of BiFab by Canadian engineering firm DF Barnes, the decision to effectively close the yards has been taken.
“We all knew the future of the yards depended heavily on orders coming in and the failure to secure contracts would make the future difficult.
“We remain optimistic that the company will be successful in its tendering process for future contracts.
“There is, however, some degree of irritation that those that must bear some responsibility for where the company is today are still in post, while the workforce has been cast aside.”
Jason Fudge, the chief executive of DF Barnes, said the company is “working tirelessly to secure new contracts”. “That is what is needed for the employees and that is our focus,” he added.