Grangemouth is prime candidate for a just transition to a greener economy - Richard Leonard

If ever there was a local economy where a just transition to a greener, more sustainable future ought to be applied, it is in Grangemouth.

As Unite the Union has said in its evidence to the committee, an industrial strategy geared towards a just transition is long overdue.

Ineos alone constitutes as much as four per cent of Scotland’s total economy and around eight per cent of our manufacturing base. That’s why economic and environmental transformation here is critical, not just locally, but nationally.

I recently came across a pamphlet I co-authored about the importance of planning for a post-carbon, post-nuclear economy. I argued that instead of just waiting for redundancies, the Scottish Government should act to ensure a just transition to a green economy.

The problem is, the pamphlet was published exactly 20 years ago. It was a time when jobs were haemorrhaging from the petrochemical industry, and too little has changed.

The Scottish Government has not even produced an industrial strategy that would revive our industrial base, let alone one that recognises the urgency of the climate crisis and the need for a major expansion in skills for workers going into these green jobs. This would be a major failing for any government, but especially for one that now includes the Greens.

Back in 2003, the Falkirk Action Plan had just been launched and I called for it to be used “as a test bed for just transition”. That also meant local, national and international investment.

And that’s what we need now: an economics where people matter, and industries where the voice of workers is heard and listened to.

I know from speaking to the workers in Grangemouth that they are ready to adapt to play their part.

But one thing is certain: we cannot rely on tax-exile billionaires like Jim Ratcliffe to act in the wider interest. It’s high time that our economy ceased to be a democracy-free zone and that environmental and social justice rested squarely in the hands of the people.

Richard Leonard is a Scottish Labour MSP for Central Scotland