BY ALAN JONES HAT NEVER WAS


Sparks of recovery? Only for car and aerospace firms


Did you know?


• Biggest UK manufacturing sector is food and drink; 2012 turnover, £76bn


• 80 per cent of UK-made vehicles exported overseas


• UK aerospace industry ranks world second


• UK chemical industry employs over 0.5m workers


• Electronics industry production is world’s fifth largest


“An apprenticeship should last between three or four years, with good rates of pay, but that is not the case with the so-called trailblazers brought in by this government.”


Peter Tsouvallaris, Unite convenor at Toyota’s plant at Burnaston is in full agreement about the importance of training youngsters, but identified changes to employment law as another concern.


Introducing fees for employment tribunals, and extending the time a worker has to be in a job before taking a case has had a big impact on the industrial relations climate, he said.


“It’s all aimed at stopping workers being able to seek justice,” he warned, adding


that warnings from unions were ignored, summing up the way the movement continues to be treated in many areas of politics and industry.


“We agreed measures such as pay cuts during the lean years to help industry through the recession and now have to listen to the Tories going on about the success of the UK economy without any reference to unions.


“We are still regarded as a ‘Red Robbo’ movement, but industrial relations in sectors such as motoring are at an all-time high, largely because unions like Unite care about the business.”


Unite national officer Ian Waddell is widely respected for his efforts to


19 uniteWORKS Spring 2015


promote the aerospace business, and believes one of the reasons for its success is a growth partnership launched under Labour and continued by the coalition. Around £1bn has been invested by the government, matched by industry, which has helped fund a technology institute.


“We have a seat on the board, we are treated as an equal partner, and we hope Labour will continue with the partnership in government, because that’s the way manufacturing should operate,” he said.


While aerospace and car firms are moving forward, it’s clear that under this government other makers aren’t marching – they’re limping.


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