CAMPAIGNManufacturing
ON OUR TERMS
Brexit: Unite fights to defend manufacturing jobs
The prime minister may have started squeezing the trigger on what Brexit means for the UK, but Unite fears bullets have already been fired which threaten jobs – especially in manufacturing.
Article 50, which will start the process of leaving the EU, will be invoked no later than March next year, with a Bill being put before Parliament to remove the European Communities Act from the statute book.
Unite won’t wait that long before making its voice heard in the crucial months ahead, as negotiations between the government and the EU are stepped up to finalise the UK’s divorce from the rest of Europe.
The union has published a strategy document, Brexit on our terms, setting out the importance of industries like motoring, aerospace and chemicals and the likely impact of life outside the EU. “Our reps across the country have made it clear that Brexit will have a significant effect on manufacturing,” warns Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke.
“We must maintain tariff-free access to the Single Market, and we don’t believe the government should trigger Article 50 until we see what the lay of the land is.” Tony says Unite is determined to have a
“seat at the table” while issues ranging from trade and workers’ rights are discussed by politicians.
As well as the need for an industrial strategy to steer the country through Brexit, Tony stresses the importance of firms having access to skilled workers from Europe, pointing to the thousands of vacancies for engineers in the car industry alone.
He told uniteWORKS, “Our biggest fear is the government has no plan, and ministers are at odds with each other – and we just don’t trust the people leading the negotiations.”
Unite has met with a number of trade groups which share many of the union’s concerns and back the priority of safeguarding jobs.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, EEF, Chemical Industries Association, British Ceramic Federation and United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association all agree with Unite on the need to maintain access to the Single Market.
The UK car industry arguably has most to lose if trade is hit, after years of strong growth by mainly foreign-owned companies, which has seen production
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step up several gears. US giant Ford sparked alarm recently by announcing it would reduce investment at its engine plant in Bridgend, South Wales, from £181m to £100m and halve production of a new engine.
Unite is pressing the firm to give a commitment about the plant’s future, while other car firms are likely to be making decisions about new vehicle models while Brexit negotiations are being held.
As we go to press Unite welcomed Nissan’s announcement that the new Qashqai and X-Trail will be built in Sunderland. With other major car makers set to make investment decisions, Unite’s call on the government to secure tariff- free access to the single market is more vital than ever.
“Our members at car and other manufacturing plants across the country rightly are looking for the same job security that appears to have been secured at Nissan through government interven- tion and investment guarantees. We need similar arrangements across the manu- facturing sector to protect workers and secure these crucial highly-skilled, decently paid jobs,” commented Tony Burke. Trish Ford, Unite’s deputy convenor at Toyota, said, “The automotive
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