Rummage through Greenock’s industrial history and you will find a distinct heritage – in the 19th Century its status as a global hub for refining sugar earned it the nickname “Sugaropolis”. Thousands of ships were also built in the coastal town over a near 300-year period.
More recently, the computer manufacturer IBM employed more than 5,000 people at its campus near Greenock. But the site closed completely in 2016.
Indeed, in the past four years, a further 1,500 jobs have vanished. Amazon, EE and a string of other companies have gone elsewhere. Just this week, the local shipyard announced it was cutting about a quarter of its workforce. Meanwhile, supporters of Greenock Morton, the local football team, have set up a fighting fund to try to stave off financial collapse at the club.
The town has been left bereft – little wonder Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney is due to visit this month, to hear the problems first-hand.
While health and social care roles employ many of the Africans, job opportunities for those born locally, and refugees, can be hard to find.
“When the work disappears, people disappear,” says Muriel, one of dozens of elderly residents gathered at Lyle Gateway Community Cafe, a stone’s throw from the High Street.
