Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has met with the defence
secretary ; to seek assurances from the
government that it will commit to purchase UK produced defence
equipment, including fast jets, helicopters, ships and satellite
technology.
The call to buy British has become even
more urgent as reports have emerged that the RAF would rather
purchase American F-35's than the latest version of BAE
Systems' Typhoon fighter aircraft. The need to replace some of
the existing Typhoon fighters is a result of them reaching the
end of their operational lifespan.
Unite estimates that around 6,500 jobs at BAE and at engine
supplier Rolls Royce are directly dependant on work on the
Typhoon, with a further 14,000 in the supply chain. Around half
of the jobs are in the North West.
Unite members have recently warned that work on new Typhoon's is
virtually at a standstill partially as result of the uncertainty
over future RAF orders.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The UK's defence
workers are critical to the country's national security. We now
need a strong commitment from the MOD that it will invest in the
UK to maintain vital skills and capacity in this country.
“Recent events clearly show that in an increasingly unstable
world it would be reckless not to ensure that our own domestic
defence industry is properly supported and capable of meeting the
security challenges we face now and into the future.
“Defence workers were let down by the previous government due to
a combination of incompetence and indecision. Labour must now
step up to the plate and make the clear unequivocal investment
decisions that workers and their employers desperately need.”
The general secretary has also demanded that the government fully
commit to the Tempest fighter programme, the fighter plane
earmarked to replace the Typhoon, to allow the companies involved
in the project to make the investment needed to ensure the new
plane enters service as planned in 2035.
Unite is further calling for the jobs and skills of workers at
MoD contractors Spirit Aerospace and Harland and Wolff to be
preserved and for new military satellite systems and RAF
helicopters to be manufactured in the UK.
