A 'golden opportunity' for Govt to prioritise UK skills by
developing a national manufacturing apprenticeship programme and
support the civil application of RR cutting-edge technology
mini-nuclear reactors (SMR's) for domestic power
supply
Unite, the UK’s leading union has welcomed the announcement that
future SSNR- AUKUS submarines will be built in the UK at
Barrow and Adelaide, Australia, using US technology with
nuclear engines from Rolls Royce in Derby.
The deal secures thousands of skilled well-paid jobs at BAE
Systems and Rolls Royce and across the UK supply chain for
decades to come and is a testament to our highly skilled
members.
Unite said the government must now ensure that it works with
businesses and trade unions to develop a national manufacturing
apprenticeship programme to deliver the next generation of
skilled women and men. The union said the government must also
support the UK design, build and delivery of the Rolls Royce
nuclear engines into a civil application to generate clean
electrical energy for the UK power grid.
Unite national officer Rhys McCarthy
said: “Unite welcomes the announcement of the
future SSNR-AUKUS submarines. The government must see this as a
golden opportunity to invest in the future, whether that be in
thousands of new highly skilled apprentices or in the
technology transfer of Rolls Royce small modular reactors
into civilian use to meet the challenges of net zero and our
energy security.
“This is also an international project and Unite has
already built good relationships with our sister unions in
Australia and the US and we will continue to make sure the
workload is shared and workers wherever they may be are treated
fairly."
Unite believes the government needs to ensure the use of
mini-reactors for power generation is not farmed out to the
cheapest international bidder. UK skills in this sector are
world-leading and the government needs to help it flourish
through proactive domestic procurement policies.
Unite believes that companies like BAE Systems and Rolls Royce
are committed to and are investing in apprentices but that
the UK needs a government that is willing to develop a national
manufacturing apprenticeship programme to meet an ongoing
skills shortage, which is in danger of becoming a national crisis
that will damage the nation’s security and prosperity.
