BREXIT Manufacturing ‘It has to be th


New Unite manufacturing research brings a strong trade union voice into Brexit debate


The first few lines of the first motion at this year’s TUC Congress summed up Unite’s warnings about the impact a no deal Brexit and the government’s handling of industry was having on manufacturing.


Unite’s motion read that the government’s failure to deliver a coherent industrial strategy had led to a collapse in investment, and the loss of 500,000 skilled jobs over the past decade.


Leaving the EU without a deal would further undermine manufacturing, threatening the loss of more jobs as well as further factory closures after those announced by car giants Honda and Ford, Unite believes.


The theme has been taken up in a new Unite document on the industrial impact of Brexit, which includes interviews with 50 workplace reps across all 19 of the union's sectors across the UK.


Most of those questioned said they had been directly affected by Brexit, while a third believed their employer was using the current crisis as an opportunity to cut pay, increase agency work or take other measures to reduce union involvement.


Some employers have even threatened to withdraw investment if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.


Unite’s officials in factories and workplaces have found that “Brexit fatigue” has set in, with workers simply wanting the long running uncertainty to end.


Mahf Khan, Unite’s deputy convenor for white collar workers at the Rolls-Royce plant in Derby, admits it has become


difficult to talk to workers about the Brexit crisis.


“I can talk to my members about finances, pensions, job security, even their personal lives, and they are grateful for any insight I can offer,” he told uniteWORKS.


“But it’s a completely different matter with Brexit. A lot of people have closed up on the debate, frustrated that it has taken so long to sort out. They just want it done.”


Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner hasn’t given up on attempts to influence Brexit, as his powerful speeches at the TUC gathering in Brighton showed.


He warned of the dire consequences for manufacturing of leaving the EU without a deal, saying, “Johnson and his government should be under no illusion – they will be held personally responsible for every job lost in the event of a disastrous no deal Brexit.”


He challenged the Prime Minister to join him in visiting car plants and ports to speak to workers whose jobs and livelihoods will be hit if the UK crashes out of the EU – anyone would pay good money to witness that encounter! “He should come out with us, look people in the eye and tell them everything will be alright. He won’t – because it won’t be alright.”


But Steve isn’t holding his breath, having already met with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove in August, along with union reps from factories across the country, in a bid to spell out the impact of a no deal Brexit on industry in general, and manufacturing in particular.


14 uniteWORKS Autumn 2019


Unsurprisingly, no guarantees were given about protecting supply chains, avoiding tariffs or bringing forward anti-dumping measures.


“I went in with low expectations – and I wasn’t disappointed,” said Steve. The minister assured the union officials he would take forward their request to meet the Prime Minister – but nothing has happened since.


Steve has a wealth of information about the damage industry would face from a no deal, or even a bad deal.


Customs declarations would have to be completed – a stark example of the impact on companies which have enjoyed frictionless trade with the EU – and the inevitable delays at ports could be disastrous.


Steve cites the example of delays of up to 17 hours on the border between Turkey and Bulgaria, leading to 20 mile long queues, even though the two countries have a trade agreement.


Jobs are already being lost in the car industry as a result of the uncertainty of the past three years, and there are constant fears of further cutbacks, slowdowns in production, and possible factory closures.


Stu Davies, Unite’s convenor at the Bentley car plant in Crewe, is one example of union officials trying to deal with the uncertainty, in partnership with the company.


“We have some good agreements which allow us to be flexible, and when it looked as though Brexit would happen in


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