Scottish Government ‘pulling out all the stops’ in the battle for BiFab

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon flew home from Germany yesterday to continue the battle for BiFab.

Ms Sturgeon left the Climate Change Conference in Bonn early to host crunch talks about the troubled company.

As he paid tribute to the commitment and dignity of BiFab’s 1,400-strong workforce, Deputy First Minster John Swinney said the Scottish Government was pulling out all the stops to secure the firm’s future.

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, where he stood in for Ms Sturgeon, Mr Swinney said: “Can I reassure Parliament, the workforce and communities we are doing everything we can to bring this matter to a resolution.”

Hundreds of BiFab employees at sites in Burntisland, Methil and Lewis have been working without pay since Monday after hearing the firm was facing cash flow problems. BiFab claims it has not been paid for work on the offshore Beatrice windfarm project by Seaway Heavy Lifting, something which has been denied by the contractor.

Talks over how to resolve the dispute and the possible development of a rescue package have been going on all week.

As BiFab workers filled Parliament’s public gallery yesterday, Mr Swinney said: “The Scottish Government is actively involved in trying to resolve the disputed sums because it will create a pathway for future stability at BiFab.

“We are prepared to continue to take forward discussions in that respect.”

He said BiFab was of huge importance to Scotland’s renewables sector.

While financial help from the public purse is still a possibility, Mr Swinney added: “The fundamental focus is on resolving the contractual issues that have led us to this situation.”

We are doing everything we can to bring this matter to a resolution. DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER JOHN SWINNEY