The number of workers being shed by Rolls Royce is a stark reminder
of the lack of comprehensive financial measures to help British
manufacturing through the coronavirus pandemic, Unite, Britain and
Ireland’s largest union, said today (Thursday 9 July). Rolls Royce
confirmed today that 2,000 of its U.K. workforce would leave the
company in August, the first of the 5,000 UK job losses announced
recently. Unite said that jobs being lost from manufacturing is the
human price for not putting...Request free trial
The number of workers being shed by Rolls Royce is a stark reminder
of the lack of comprehensive financial measures to help British
manufacturing through the coronavirus pandemic, Unite, Britain and
Ireland’s largest union, said today (Thursday 9 July).
Rolls Royce confirmed today that 2,000 of its U.K. workforce would
leave the company in August, the first of the 5,000 UK job losses
announced recently.
Unite said that jobs being lost from manufacturing is the human
price for not putting in place a comprehensive range of short to
medium term measures, such as short-term working, to support the
sector, similar to those adopted by the UK’s economic competitors,
France and Germany.
The stark reality of the lack of UK government support measures
means that Rolls Royce workers in Britain make up 25 per cent of
global job loses compared to five per cent in Germany
Unite said that it was extremely concerning that, in his speech
yesterday, the chancellor ignored the desperate needs of
the country’s manufacturing base - with many of those factories in
the very communities that the Johnson government pledged would be
targeted as part of the so-called ‘levelling up’ agenda.
Unite national officer for aerospace Rhys McCarthy said: “The job
losses at Rolls Royce are a stark reminder that these are
highly-skilled jobs that the UK economy can ill-afford to lose as
it faces the economic realities of the post-pandemic world.
“Unite has called for a set of measures for manufacturing in the
short to medium term, such as short term working, that our economic
competitors France and Germany have already adopted.
“Unite has also repeatedly called for a comprehensive industrial
strategy to underpin the UK’s manufacturing base as it goes through
the Covid-19 emergency. What we are seeing instead is a series of
tactics trying to delay the inevitable rather that a thought
through sector based strategy to help rebuild and recover.
“Many of the factories and plants that make up the manufacturing
base are in the very communities and regions, such as the north,
that promised would be at the heart
of his so-called ‘levelling up’ agenda.
“Chancellor can no longer ignore the
continuing plight of manufacturing – the future of the UK economy
can’t be just based on services, consumer consumption and a cheap
meal out.
“Yesterday’s £30bn mini-budget from the chancellor was centred on
the consumer side of the economy and the needs of manufacturing
were by-passed. The offer for firms of a £1,000 bonus for every
furloughed worker taken on until January next year is, quite
frankly, tinkering at the edges.
“Unite stands ready at a moment’s notice to constructively engage
with and business secretary over a financial lifeline to our
beleaguered manufacturing industries and also to forge a
comprehensive industrial strategy.
“Such a blueprint will maintain the UK’s world-class industries,
such as Rolls Royce; secure the future of tens of thousands of
highly skilled jobs; and assist towards developing new technologies
and industries that will help pay Britain’s way in the world in the
decades ahead.”
