The Scottish Government will work with UK ministers and local council chiefs in an effort to find alternative futures for workers at the Mossmorran chemical plant.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes confirmed the Scottish Government would take part in talks on Monday alongside Fife Council leaders and Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander.
The move came after Mr Alexander made a direct plea to the Scottish Deputy First Minister to get involved as he insisted the workforce at the site âdeserve unity rather than political squabbles between governmentsâ.
His comments came after Ms Forbes, last week, said it was âcrucialâ for Labour ministers at Westminster to âconsider what more they can do for the workers at the plant and take urgent actionâ.
The spat between the governments comes in the wake of bosses at ExxonMobil announcing last week that their Fife ethylene manufacturing plant is to close in February, impacting more than 400 workers and contractors.
Speaking on Monday, Ms Forbes said: âThe Scottish Governmentâs priority is to secure a future for the workers at Mossmorran.
âOur approach has been to work at pace to protect the workforce and consider any actions that we could take to mitigate the impact of this decision on the local economy.â
She added that âany reports of conflict between the UK Government and the Scottish Government on the process to achieve that does a disservice to the workersâ.
Ms Forbes insisted it was the UK Government that has not only the âlevers for an industrial interventionâ â as happened with the Scunthorpe steel plant â but also the ability to take âurgent action to address the high cost of energyâ.
High supply costs had been cited by bosses at ExxonMobil as one of the reasons why the company felt there was no longer a âcompetitive future for the siteâ.
Promising to act, Ms Forbes said that âthe Scottish Government will participate in the UK Governmentâs suggested processâ.
Representatives will take part in Mondayâs meeting, organised by Mr Alexander and Fife Council, the Deputy First Minister added.
In addition, she will personally visit Mossmorran on Tuesday to meet with both workers and trade union leaders.
Stressing it was an âincredibly difficult time for the Mossmorran workers and their familiesâ, Mr Alexander spoke about the âover-riding obligation to look out for the workforceâ.
With local employers also at Mondayâs meeting, he said he would be âurging them to consider the highly skilled workforce at Mossmorranâ when recruiting new staff.
But Mr Alexander, speaking on BBC Radio Scotlandâs Breakfast programme, said: âWe need to get our act together in terms of the work the Scottish Government, the UK Government and Fife Council is doing.
âThose two governments and Fife Council should be working together to support the workforce.
âSo, I would reiterate my plea today that Kate Forbes accept the invitation of Fife Council, join us today, sit down in Fife and letâs get the arrangements sorted out so we can focus on the task at hand, which is not playing politics or squabbling between governments, but focusing on the needs of the workforce.
âThat starts today, meeting local employers and pressing the case for local workers.â
Mr Alexander appealed directly to the Scottish Deputy First Minister, adding: âPlease Kate, come along to Fife House and letâs get this sorted out like grown-ups.â
His comments came as he made plain there had not been any âserious commercial offerâ for the Mossmorran site which could keep it open.
Speaking about the plant, Mr Alexander said: âIt was due to have a lifespan of about 20 years, it has now operated for 40 years.
âIt has been losing ÂŁ1 million a month and it has been making losses for five years.â
