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Original poster

why is Grangemouth shutting?

127 replies

giraffesCantGoGuising · 16/10/2013 21:41

Am I missing something? I thought the strike was called off - so why is it in process of shutting down? It has been a long day! I have read the article but am still confused Blush

OP posts:
IrnBruTheNoo · 23/10/2013 20:10

"these days finding a different job is much harder than it used to be"

I do agree with you, but in these days even if it means taking a huge drop in salary, and changing your lifestyle, then you'll do what you have to in order to survive even if taking a run of the mill job.

You'll find not that many people in the Grangemouth area earn £80k. You're lucky if many manage that on dual income.

Shenanagins · 23/10/2013 20:11

Wow, just wow. Get out of their comfort zone, to do what as there isn't much of anything right now never mind paid at the level they are used to.

ssd · 23/10/2013 20:12

in order to survive I'd have taken the offer from INEOS even if it choked me, just so I could keep my house and feed my family

IrnBruTheNoo · 23/10/2013 20:13

"paid at the level they are used to."

Higher than average salary for most in the Grangemouth area, you'll find. Many in those quarters are earning less than half of that and still have a good lifestyle. Maybe wouldn't go far living in the South, but in Scotland you can get by nicely on half of that.

IrnBruTheNoo · 23/10/2013 20:15

You adjust your lifestyle according to your means.

ssd · 23/10/2013 20:16

you don't get by nicely on £6.31 an hour, trust me, I'm trying to do just that, in my run of the mill job, that's what many of these workers will face now, minimum wage and sod all else

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 23/10/2013 20:18

Flatpack, that's not what I meant at all. But if Dave does want to retain the Union, he needs to step in now. Nationalise the plant; if it's losing so much money, £1 would pretty much cover it, and I'm sure we Scots could manage a whipround for that.

flatpackhamster · 23/10/2013 20:18

IrnBruTheNoo

It's a buffer for those who need to start looking for new jobs, what's wrong with that?

Nothing, except that it didn't have to be this way. Unite hanged those employees out to dry on its supposed 'principles'.

Many have to do this regardless in these desperate times, INEOS employees won't be the first or last!

No, but they were some of the most unnecessary.

flatpackhamster · 23/10/2013 20:21

OldLadyKnowsNothing

Flatpack, that's not what I meant at all. But if Dave does want to retain the Union, he needs to step in now.

So we should buy the favour of the Scots? That's hardly making an argument for keeping Scotland in the Union.

Nationalise the plant; if it's losing so much money, £1 would pretty much cover it, and I'm sure we Scots could manage a whipround for that.

You'd have to pay for the site, the equipment and the facilities. A couple of hundred million is more likely.

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 23/10/2013 20:27

I have no wish to argue we should retain the Union, and will be voting yes next year. My point is that Dave says he does, and Eck doesn't have the remit.

Shenanagins · 23/10/2013 20:28

If the workers do manage to get another job on half their current earnings, they will cut back on their expenditure causing a ripple effect on the wider community.

They have been badly let down by the union.

IrnBruTheNoo · 23/10/2013 20:28

We've been subsidising the rest of the UK! I think we'll do fine if we nationalise the plant.

Shenanagins · 23/10/2013 20:31

Renationalising the plant, if somehow did happen would be at least two years away. What are the workers to do in the meantime?

TeacakeEater · 23/10/2013 20:31

John Swinney said there were no plans to nationalise the plant.

IrnBruTheNoo · 23/10/2013 20:32

We'll see...

Yddraigoldragon · 23/10/2013 20:33

I can remember kids at school playing this game, they called it chicken. They stood in the road, and then jumped out of the way ideally before the approaching car hit them.

The winner was the individual that stayed in the road longest.

Trouble is, playing it as adults means there are no winners, just lots and lots of losers.

ssd · 23/10/2013 20:36

I'll be voting no next year

IrnBruTheNoo · 23/10/2013 20:36

Well the game of chicken is well and truly over now Yddraigolddragon.

IrnBruTheNoo · 23/10/2013 20:37

Yes yes yes all the way to the polls. I'll be screaming it on my way out as well.

StoorieHoose · 23/10/2013 20:45

I'd rather the billions of pounds the Scottish taxpayer is contributing to a high speed rail link ((which comes nowhere near us) was used to buy both Grangemouth plants

SantanaLopez · 23/10/2013 20:50

Energy is devolved, if this plant was capable of bringing in money I am sure Westminster would do all it could to save it.

SantanaLopez · 23/10/2013 20:50

Is devolved the right word there? Not sure, too tired. Anyway, energy is a UK-issue.

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 23/10/2013 20:55

Energy is a reserved issue, yes, a UK thing.

SantanaLopez · 23/10/2013 20:56

That's the one I was looking for, cheers!

flatpackhamster · 23/10/2013 21:24

OldLadyKnowsNothing

Energy is a reserved issue, yes, a UK thing.

Energy is a shared EU competence. The UK is not sovereign in energy policy. Nor would Scotland be if it had independence and remained an EU member.