Aerospace, Defence & Shipbuilding

Ferguson Marine

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GMB Scotland | Shipbuilding

Ferguson Marine carries forward the proud legacy of civilian shipbuilding in Scotland into the 21st Century. It is the only commercial shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, with more than 120 years of continuous shipbuilding history at Port Glasgow. Today, it remains the only Scottish yard building complex merchant vessels, particularly ferries that are essential to island communities and public services.

Ferguson Marine plays a vital role in maintaining UK shipbuilding capability outside defence, including the construction of passenger and vehicle ferries for public service use; specialist fabrication and engineering work within the wider UK supply chain; and development of low‑emission and hybrid maritime technologies.

Without yards like Ferguson Marine, publicly funded vessels may be built overseas, leaving the UK dependent on foreign shipyards and eroding domestic skills, resilience and value for UK taxpayers.

Following its collapse into administration, the yard was taken into public ownership in December 2019, rightly recognising that shipbuilding capacity is essential sovereign national infrastructure.

Ferguson Marine directly employs around 400 highly skilled workers, supporting many more jobs across the supply chain. Most of the workforce lives locally in Inverclyde, an area that has faced decades of shameful deindustrialisation.

The yard supports apprenticeships and training for future shipbuilders; high‑skill engineering, fabrication and marine systems roles; and secure, skilled employment where industrial alternatives are limited.

For Inverclyde, Ferguson Marine is not just an employer, it is an economic anchor for the whole community.

The delays to MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa caused understandable concern and public scrutiny. However, multiple parliamentary and audit processes have made clear that the workforce was not responsible for the failures. The problems stemmed from flawed procurement, governance and design decisions. Workers continued to deliver under extreme pressure, disruption and poor leadership.

MV Glen Sannox was successfully delivered in November 2024, marking the first major vessel handed over from the yard in years and an important step towards rebuilding confidence in the site and its workforce.

GMB is the trade union for Ferguson Marine and our reps and members have been at the forefront of the fight to secure the yard’s future. We will continue the Fight for Fergusons.

Last update: 31 Mar 2026

Further Links

Bulletin Updates

WORKPLACE EXPOSURE (FUME & DUST, ETC.) REGISTER
Bulletin Updates

WORKPLACE EXPOSURE (FUME & DUST, ETC.) REGISTER

Posted on:

Dear GMB Union Member,

Workplace exposure to hazardous substances, particularly fumes, dusts, vapours, mists, and airborne particulates, remains a significant occupational health concern across UK industries. As part of our commitment to safeguarding health, safety, and welfare at work, this Workplace Exposure Register has been created in partnership with our law firm Unionline to ensure that workers have a clear, accessible means of recording and evidencing exposure to potentially harmful airborne contaminants.

This register is designed to complement, not replace, the legal duties placed upon employers. Employers are required to assess, control, monitor, and review employees’ exposure to hazardous substances. However, we recognise that workers themselves are often best placed to identify when exposures occur, especially where controls may be inadequate, inconsistent, or poorly implemented.

In February 2019 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reclassified all welding fume, including mild steel, as a Group 1 human carcinogen, with no safe level of exposure. This includes both the visible particulate fume as well as the invisible gases generated during welding operations. Welding fume exposure has been linked to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), occupational asthma, metal fume fever, and long-term neurological, renal, and cardiovascular harm. For these reasons, welding fume is given specific emphasis in this register.

Workers across manufacturing, engineering, shipbuilding, construction, fabrication, and maintenance roles are routinely exposed to welding fume, often in challenging real-world environments where ventilation, extraction, and respiratory protection may be inadequate. Documenting these exposures is essential to ensure early intervention, enforce employer compliance, and protect workers’ long‑term health.

The purpose of this Workplace Exposure Register is to:

Provide workers with a formal mechanism to record instances of exposure to hazardous fumes, dusts, and airborne substances, including but not limited to welding fume, metalworking fluids, silica dust, wood dust, solvents, and combustion products.

Create a contemporaneous record that may assist in enforcing workplace safety improvements and ensuring employers meet their statutory duties under COSHH.

Support members in the event of future industrial disease claims handled through Unionline, by preserving evidence of exposure that may otherwise be lost over time.

Strengthen our ability to challenge unsafe work practices and advocate for better engineering controls, extraction systems, health surveillance, and training.

Who Should Use This Register

Anyone who may be exposed to hazardous airborne contaminants - whether regularly or occasionally - is encouraged to complete this register whenever exposure occurs or when controls fail. This includes welders, fabricators, apprentices, maintenance technicians, cleaners, machine operators, labourers, and any worker who may be unintentionally exposed through bystander contamination or poor segregation of workspaces.

Entries in this register will be securely held and may be used by GMB or Unionline to:

  • Identify patterns of unsafe practice
  • Support collective bargaining around health and safety
  • Strengthen grievances and health & safety reports
  • Assist with legal claims relating to industrial disease

By completing this register, members help ensure that exposure risks—especially those as serious as welding fume inhalation—are properly recognised, challenged, and prevented.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PD9HL6M

We urge all members to use this new Register as appropriate.

In solidarity,

Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, Acting National Secretary

Matt Roberts, National Officer

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