UNITE has slammed Labour and SNP leaders’ “radio silence” on Grangemouth’s closure while hundreds of workers are being handed redundancy notices.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and his Westminster counterpart Sir Keir Starmer have come under intense fire over the last week after the process of laying off almost 500 workers began at Scotland’s only oil refinery.

Mr Sarwar told Radio Scotland on Monday: “Where we are right now is not good enough.”

Insisting that the Labour government was “looking robustly” at a future for the site and for the workers, he added: “Where we are now, there has been some progress, but nowhere near enough progress and I keep pressing that case.”

Unite Scottish secretary Derek Thompson welcomed Mr Sarwar’s admission of a lack of progress, but he told BBC Radio Scotland today: “The reality is these words have come far too late and it follows the redundancy notices being issued last week.

“It appears to me to be nothing more than a face-saving exercise by Anas because the elections are coming up and there has been radio silence by the leadership of the Scottish Labour Party so far.”

Mr Thompson said that, despite the union’s plan for the future of the site being presented to SNP First Minister John Swinney months ago, there has been little but “radio silence” from Bute House since then.

He said: “We really need politicians now to get up, stand up and protect and save jobs in Scotland.”

A spokesman for Mr Sarwar said he had been in regular contact with trade unions and government representatives to “secure a future for the workers at Grangemouth,” adding: “Scottish Labour will continue to work with all parties involved to support the workforce at the site.”

The Scottish government was contacted for comment.