Government loaded the dice against Britain's last train maker
16 December 2011
Unite, Britain's biggest union, has called on the government to
halt the 'murky' Thameslink procurement process following the
transport select committee's damning recommendations.
Unite welcomes the committee's recommendation for the National
Audit Office to conduct a review of the Thameslink procurement
process, which led to Britain's last train maker, Bombardier,
losing out to a consortium led by Siemens.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "It is an outrage
that the British government loaded the dice against British jobs.
It is now time to lift the lid on the murky dealings which stopped
this country's last train maker from building trains for our
railways.
"The select committee's report is a damning indictment of the
government. The Thameslink contract has been shrouded in a veil of
secrecy. It will be a national scandal if the transport secretary
refuses to put the Thameslink contract on hold to allow a full
inquiry.
"We have consistently argued that the government failed to
think about the social and economic consequences of its decision to
put tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs on the scrapheap. It
appears a decision was also based on the preffered bidder's ability
to raise cash rather than build trains.
“We now hope that the government will do the right thing and act
on the select committee's recommendations and also learn lessons
for the future."
ENDS
Contact: Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315
