ICC, Birmingham, Saturday 25 March 2017 With now daily
reminders that a ‘hard’ Brexit will prove extremely challenging for
the UK’s car manufacturing industry, the country’s biggest union,
Unite, is building an alliance between the workforce and the
industry to secure a future for the sector. Such is the
union’s concern, Unite is calling an emergency conference to bring
together representatives of its 95,000 auto members with industry
leaders to press for determined...Request free trial
ICC, Birmingham, Saturday 25 March 2017
With now daily reminders that a ‘hard’ Brexit will prove extremely
challenging for the UK’s car manufacturing industry, the country’s
biggest union, Unite, is building an alliance between the workforce
and the industry to secure a future for the sector.
Such is the union’s concern, Unite is calling an emergency
conference to bring together representatives of its 95,000 auto
members with industry leaders to press for determined government
action to secure barrier-free trading access to markets in the
European union.
Among those speaking at the event are the Rt
Hon MP, secretary of
state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the
shadow business secretary MP. They will be joined
by David
Bailey, professor of
industrial strategy at Aston University and Mike
Hawes, chief
executive of the influential Society of Motor
Manufacturers and Traders.
Announcing the conference today (Thursday 16 March) Unite general
secretary Len McCluskey said: “On a daily basis we are
encountering nervousness in the car industry as it considers its
place in Brexit Britain.
“Unite is the foremost union for the UK’s car workers. Our
members have worked tirelessly to turn this industry around to
become the world class performer it is today. They work across
more than 30 manufacturers building some 70
different models of vehicle. They are supported in this by
more than 2,000 component providers employing hundreds of
thousands of workers including some of the world’s
most skilled engineers. It provides good, skilled jobs for
working people and it makes a substantial contribution to the UK
exchequer.
“A bad Brexit deal will put all of this at risk.
“So, we are bringing together those who run the sector and those
working in the sector, to build common cause around what is needed
to build a sustainable future for UK car making.
“I know from my discussions with the industry that investment
decisions hang on access to barrier-free markets, and that this
comes at the very time the industry also faces the challenges of
automation and electric vehicles. We are, as a union, also
embroiled in battles to defend our members’ pensions as companies
prioritise shareholder rewards over decent treatment for retired
workers.
“We are coming to Birmingham, a city with deep roots in car making,
to say loudly and clearly that Unite’s members have fought before
for a future for this sector and won. We will do so
again.”
The conference – Securing a Future for the UK Auto
Industry – will take place on Saturday 25
March in Birmingham, a city long associated with UK car
manufacturing. It will bring together workers from all the
major auto manufacturers and supply chain businesses to develop a
plan of action to safeguard the country’s world-class auto
industry, a sector with a £71.6 billion turnover.
The issues of automation, electrification, investment and the
digital revolution in manufacturing will also be raised.
Unite has been lobbying for the government to declare ahead of
Brexit talks that it will seek to secure access to the
European Union single market and the customs union, so sending a
much-needed signal to workers and UK manufacturing that a strong
economy is a Brexit priority.
The union is opposed to sector-by-sector trade deals as these do
not reflect the complicated nature of modern day manufacturing.
Unite represents around 95,000 workers in the auto manufacturing
sector.
ENDS
The Unite conference – Securing a Future for the UK Auto
Industry – will take place
from 10:30 until 15:00 on Saturday 25
March 2017 in Hall 8 of the ICC, Birmingham.
