A ‘SAVE Our Shipyard’ campaign has been launched in a bid to keep stricken Ferguson’s in Port Glasgow alive.

Unions have called on the Scottish Government to step in and keep the doors open at the site as senior cabinet figures prepare to be pressed on the matter at a summit in the town today.

The whole of Inverclyde was rocked on Friday when the Telegraph revealed that administrators had been called in at the Newark yard and 70 jobs had been lost.

Union chiefs quickly called on the Scottish Government to intervene just like it did when it took over ailing Prestwick Airport late last year.

Senior officials at the GMB and Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU) also launched a stinging attack on ministers, who said they’d been unaware of the impending closure.

Jim Moohan, GMB Scotland senior organiser and chair of CSEU, said: “This is the last remaining commercial shipbuilding yard in Scotland. It has now locked its doors to the workforce.

“Unless the Scottish Government intervenes this puts the final key in the door of commercial shipbuilding with a history of several hundred years in Scotland.

“Not to intervene will be an utter betrayal by the Scottish Government and the First Minister, Alex Salmond.

“Both he and the government are well aware of the precarious cliff edge position that the yard was facing and have done nothing to help so far.” Finance minister John Swinney is due in Port Glasgow today to discuss the future of the yard.

He says he will set up an emergency taskforce to try and salvage the yard.

Mr Swinney said: “The loss of any jobs in Port Glasgow is a devastating blow and we will work closely with the administrator to deliver an integrated service to those losing their jobs.

“We will also convene a taskforce which will aim to secure new opportunities for this commercial shipyard on the Clyde.

“I have spoken to the leader of the council and we have agreed to work together on the taskforce to secure these opportunities. I will visit Port Glasgow today to start this process.

“The Scottish Government’s initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE), is already engaged and working with the administrators to provide as much support as possible to affected employees. The yard facilities, along with the expertise and experience of the workforce, are significant assets.

“The Scottish Government and partners have a strong track record of engagement in the local area to secure employment. Over the past two-and-a-half years we have supported Ferguson Shipbuilders with contracts worth more than £20 million for two new hybrid ferries.

“We will do everything we can to promote a strong future for commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde and remain hopeful that a new owner can be found to continue the proud tradition and innovative engineering of Ferguson Shipbuilders.” But union bosses say they are far from impressed with the way the crisis has come about, left their members on the scrapheap and the gates locked at the last shipyard in Inverclyde.

Mr Moohan said: “Unions met with the transport minister, Keith Brown, last week and Ferguson’s was mentioned in part of that discussion.

“It is not believable that ministers were not aware of the warnings over the past several years that the yard was in need of direct support.

“Workers with service between 30 and 45 years in that yard have been kicked out without any explanation, that is a scandal.” The union boss says the Scottish Government has the power to rescue the yard if it wants to.

He added: “There can be no hiding behind EU guidelines this time.

“The First Minister can, we believe, directly intervene and tender for commercial work within Europe to allow this yard to remain open.

“All governments have got the right to make bold decisions to save an industry.

“GMB and CSEU issue a public challenge to the First Minister to meet with ourselves and the conveners in an attempt to retrieve this abysmal situation.

“The Scottish people will reflect on the handling of this crisis by the First Minister.” Local business chiefs have also offered their support in a bid to save Ferguson’s.

Steven Watson, president of the Greenock Chamber of Commerce, said: “This is a sad day for Ferguson’s and its people, and a sad day for shipbuilding on the Clyde.

“For the sake of its highly-skilled workforce and a business with great heritage, we hope administrators KPMG can work to secure a buyer and keep shipbuilding alive on the lower Clyde.

“We will support them in any way we can.”