Committee says government must deliver for car industry, says Unite
17th July 2009
Commenting on the report out today (Friday) from the influential
Select Committee on Business and Enterprise, which calls for
government to stop dragging its heels on support for the car
industry, Tony Woodley, Unite joint general secretary, said: "This
report hits the nail on the head. More than seven months on
from the establishment of the Automotive Assistance Programme, we
are yet to see a penny paid out to car and components
companies.
"The Committee says it is astounded that it is taking so long to
help to companies to save jobs and skills. Sadly, we've gone
past being astounded and are beginning to get very angry that good
people are losing their jobs while government departments shuffle
paper.
"These jobs won't come back. People are being thrown on
the dole, and with every job gone our future as a manufacturing
nation takes another serious hit.
"The message from this report is clear: get moving government on
providing speedy, strategic support or we will lose our
manufacturing crown for good."
Amid the deepening uncertainty about the future of the industry
in the UK, Unite has been pressing for a short-time working subsidy
to ensure jobs are retained in the sectors through the
downturn. It has also been pushing for the government to
deliver much faster on the Automotive Assistance Programme
(AAP). Last Wednesday, Jaguar announced 300 jobs would go at
its Halewood plant; JLR is still awaiting the AAP money it applied
for some months ago.
As the select committee report makes clear, the integrated
nature of the industry means that companies are not hit in
isolation. When jobs are lost at one plant, there is fallout
across the industry. Recently, the LDV van plant has gone
into administration with the loss of nearly 900 jobs directly and
hundreds more in the supply chain. Equally, strategic support for
key companies would immediately protect jobs across the sector.
Unite is the leading union in the car and components
industry.
ENDS
For further information, please contact Pauline Doyle on 07976
832 861
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