The Transport and General Workers Union (T&G), which represents workers in the car industry, amongst others, has expressed anger and frustration at what it claims is the lowest level of manufacturing in the United Kingdom since 1841.
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T&G general secretary Tony Woodley said that findings by the UK government’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that “the industrial revolution has almost come full circle”.
He added: “Having the lowest numbers in manufacturing since records began is a record the government cannot be proud of. The roll call of household names that have cut jobs or run away from the UK using our lax labour laws is an indictment on them and the failure of government to address the problems we have continually highlighted.
“Government is a big customer of manufacturing industries. It should use its buying power to ensure products to equip our schools and hospitals are made in this country as well taking, for example, a strategic lead to promote manufacturing investment in renewable energy generation.”
T&G said if the ONS data is correct, then manufacturing currently employs fewer people than in 1841, when the main employer industries were coal mining, shipbuilding, textiles, iron and steel.
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By GlobalDataWoodley said an opinion poll taken for the T&G two months ago at the ruling Labour party’s annual conference showed that nine out of 10 Labour voters believed the government should do more to support manufacturing.
“We need to see much more urgency from government to defend manufacturing jobs and industry; including manufacturing champions and a public spending policy that prioritises support for British manufacturing using the GBP119bn ($US224.66bn) which is spent yearly buying manufactured goods. This government should do what most governments do – spend it here protecting British jobs.”
A Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) spokesman said that, while manufacturing output in 2005 was disappointing, data this year has been more encouraging. In the three months to August compared with the three months to May, manufacturing output grew by 0.7%, he told just-auto.
“The job losses we have seen in manufacturing are regrettable. However, they pale in comparison to annual declines in manufacturing employment in the 80s and 90s recessions, which reached 673,000 in 1981 and 422,000 in 1991,” he added.
“The government is providing wide-ranging support through the manufacturing strategy that we established in May 2002 with industry and unions.
“In particular, the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) has been a huge success as a source of practical hands-on advice to small and medium sized manufacturers. MAS has generated over GBP224m of added value for the companies it has helped.”
In recent years General Motors has closed its Vauxhall car assembly plant at Luton, Ford has axed its Browns Lane Jaguar factory (though many workers were offered relocation to Castle Bromwich) and has has transferred Land Rover Freelander production from Solihull to the under-utilised Jaguar X-type plant near Liverpool. Peugeot’s 206 assembly plant at Ryton is due to close within months though the shutdown date has been brought forward as many of the doomed plant’s workers have already found new jobs.
Joe Ayling (with additional reporting by Graeme Roberts)
