Unite and Coventry MPs meet Government to save Ericsson
R&D plant and UK high tech skills
2 December 2009
Unite officers are to meet Pat McFadden, Minster of State at the
Department for Business, Innovations and Skills today (Wednesday
2nd December) to ask him to intervene to save the Ericsson R&D
plant at Ansty Park, Coventry which is due to close next year with
the loss of 700 jobs.
Ericsson’s decision to close the site and transfer the work to
other European countries including Italy and former eastern
European states, as well as exporting R&D work to China is a
huge blow to Coventry which has been at the leading edge of
technical advances.
Unite is upping its campaign to save the site. Local MP's Jim
Cunningham and Geoffrey Robinson will accompany Unite officers and
will call on Pat McFadden to intervene in areas such as procurement
contracts for government communications work, in particular
contracts in secure communications and defence / security
projects.
Unite is particularly concerned that the closure of the site
will reduce the UK’s capacity in innovation, research and the
development of high tech communications which is seen by the
government as one of the key areas of the future for the UK.
Kevin O'Gallagher, Unite lead officer said: “Unite is determined
to save this plant in Coventry. We will be asking the government to
back UK workers and help us put pressure on Ericcson to keep the
Ansty site open.
"The fact that West Midlands Development Agency had invested
£65,000,000 of public funds to keep Ericsson in the Midlands by
providing the company with state of the art accommodation is a
further blow to the region."
Unite is also meeting senior managers from Sweden later in the
month and will call on them to reverse their decision to close
Ansty Park site.
Ends
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