Unite: Union Leader calls for an industrial strategy for manufacturing

Unite: Union Leader calls for an industrial strategy for manufacturing

Unite: Union Leader calls for an industrial strategy for manufacturing

Derek Simpson joint leader of Unite is today calling on the Government to launch an industrial strategy to boost the UK’s manufacturing sector to create a positive counter balance to the service industry.

The union is calling for massive investments in new apprenticeships and on-the-job skills development in the manufacturing industry. In this post-credit crunch world the union believes it is high time for a resurgence in the UK’s neglected manufacturing base. With interest rates at their lowest for decades and a weaker pound, the UK now has significant export opportunities which are likely to last into the foreseeable future. The UK is well placed to re-gain its status as an industrial leader if the government makes manufacturing a priority.

Unite joint general secretary, Derek Simpson said:

“The Tory policies of the eighties sought to make British manufacturing a relic of the industrial revolution with a horrendous human cost. In this post-credit crunch world we can see just how wrong they were. It’s high time for the resurgence of British manufacturing but we need an industrial strategy from the government to support and nurture the UK’s manufacturing base.

“Over the last ten years the UK has lost 1 million manufacturing jobs. The UK needs significant investments into apprenticeships and on-the-job training. Its time to rebuild British manufacturing. Manufacturing penetrates the entire country rather than just London and the South-east and creates high-skilled, well paid jobs – not Mac Jobs. If it were up to the do-nothing Tories the recession would last until doomsday, under Labour I believe the UK can once again be a country that can be proud of what it builds.”

The Government’s support for a new generation of nuclear power stations and the increasing significance of renewable technology means there will be huge demands for people with craft and technical engineering skills. The government needs to ensure that UK workers and our local economies benefit from these well paid and highly skilled jobs. With major projects being undertaken over the next 20 years starting with the Olympics, the refurbishment of Aldermaston, Building of clean coal power stations and carbon capture projects and nuclear decommissioning at Sellafield and Dounreay – the demand for people with craft and technical engineering skills will be massive. We must encourage our young people into engineering disciplines and also offer adults who may have missed an opportunity earlier in their lives to come into engineering and undertake apprenticeship training.

ENDS

Contact Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315