A HIGHLY skilled shipyard worker from Greenock who was told there was no work and let go from Ferguson Marine has hit out at the recent use of migrant labour.

Pipe-fitter Brian Hamil says he is one of six men laid off in the run up to Christmas but reassured by their sub-contractor that they would be re-started as soon as work was under way again.

Both Ferguson's and owners the Scottish Government have come under fire in recent days after it was revealed 13 eastern European workers were brought in during lockdown, only to immediately breach Covid-19 social distancing, sparking a self-isolation period.

It was then announced the following day that the was being shutdown completely for a week.

It is due to reopen on Monday.

The publicly-owned yard is facing a race again time to finish two long overdue and massively over-budget ferries.

Brian says he and others have been left out in the cold and that both the yard and ministers have questions to answer over their personnel practices.

Brian, 62, from Bannockburn Street, said: "I am utterly disgusted that Ferguson Marine has brought in workers from elsewhere.

"It is total mismanagement.

"We were there for three weeks and told that we would be laid off because the work we were there to do was not ready to start.

"They told us that we would be taken back on once it was ready.

"I feel like we have been told lies.

"But if I am wrong and Ferguson Marine can prove it, I will come back out here and apologise.

"I have worked all over the world, but we go to places where the skills are not there to do the job.

"Here in Inverclyde we have a highly skilled local workforce and high unemployment.

"There is no need to bring in outside labour.

"I think a yard owned by the government should do better than this and I want to know what the First Minister has to say about it.

"I know Dales Marine has done the same thing but they're a private company, answerable to shareholders.

"What is Ferguson's excuse?"

Local councillor Robert Moran is also taking issue over the pipe-fitters drafted in by a subcontractor company and has asked senior council officials to refer the matter to police.

He said: "It is totally wrong what has happened here."

Brian and other pipe-fitters were taken on by a different sub-contractor from the one which employed the migrant workers who arrived at the yard last weekend.

He said: "When you go in with sub-contractors you know the situation.

"But we were told that there would be work there for us for as long we wanted.

"I am speaking out and making myself known because I think people need to know what is going on.

"I don't want the other pipe fitters to be blamed.

"It is me who is speaking out about this and it needs to be said.

"The yard is run by the government and this shouldn't be happening."

The Tele has been contacted by other people raising concerns about the situation.

One source, who didn't want to be named, said: "Honestly we thought morale couldn't get any lower, but it turns out it can.

"It is demoralising to see workers from outwith the area brought in.

"We had highly skilled workers in here."

A spokesperson for Ferguson Marine said: “We do not comment on individual HR and personnel matters for reasons of confidentiality.

"However, we will investigate the details provided and explore any issues and areas for improvement.

“We recruit tradespeople via a framework of recruitment agencies on a contract basis to manage workforce numbers and costs in an efficient way in line with peaks and troughs in production.

"A recruitment agency supplied 30 contract tradespeople in autumn last year – approximately half of what we need.

"These vacancies were advertised and open for several months.

"As pipefitting is a critical part of the dual fuel ferry project and to avoid any further delays to the project, we increased the scope of work of HB Hydraulics to supply this resource.

"Our recruitment agency is set to launch an advertising campaign to recruit further tradespeople once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

“Currently, the shipyard supports more than 400 jobs in the Inverclyde area.

"We are committed to investing in the skills required for the future through our ‘Grow Our Own’ programme to recruit and train tradespeople to meet business requirements going forward.

"In 2020, we invested in record apprentice recruitment with 25 new apprentices.

"As the shipyard continues to recover and stabilise post-administration, and seeks to build and grow, we anticipate the overall headcount at the shipyard to also grow, creating more job opportunities.”