Fide Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 The Unions and the Government told us pre-referendum that a Yes vote would jeopardise Clyde jobs... Now look... http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/apr/22/clyde-shipworkers-glasgow-fear-for-jobs-mod-contracts-delays?CMP=share_btn_tw Shipworkers on the Clyde in Glasgow are gearing up for a battle to save their jobs, amid fears the government is backsliding on a pledge to provide a steady stream of orders to safeguard the industry in what is being described as a potential hammer blow to British shipbuilding. Work on new type-26 frigates ordered by the Ministry of Defence, in a deal announced by David Cameron, had been expected to begin this year, but there are concerns it could be delayed until 2017. Plans for a state-of-the-art “frigate factory†– which it had been hoped would help the yard win future export orders – also appear to have been shelved, and there are concerns that work promised to Scotland will be relocated to England. The multimillion-pound contract was announced in February 2015, having been delayed until after the Scottish independence referendum, during which the future of shipbuilding on the Clyde was a key issue. Pro-union campaigners insisted that loss of contracts would be inevitable if Scotland became independent because UK military ships can only be built in UK shipyards. Another MoD contract, this time to build smaller offshore patrol vessels, was announced by the coalition government during the final weeks of the referendum campaign. It was regarded with suspicion by many yes voters who believed that the no campaign – dubbed Project Fear – was over-selling the threat to jobs should Scotland choose to become independent. With an electorate still very much alive to charges of betrayal of commitments made before the referendum, this latest jobs threat on the Clyde could harm the Scottish Conservatives as they attempt to exploit Labour’s weakness and become the second party and main opposition to the SNP in May’s Holyrood elections. The shadow defence secretary, Emily Thornberry, insisted the government must honour its commitments to Glasgow workers. She said: “This would be a hammer blow to the British shipbuilding industry, one that cannot be allowed, so I have immediately written to [defence secretary] Michael Fallon demanding assurances that the Tories will honour the commitments they made to the people of Glasgow. “It is essential that the type-26 project goes ahead as planned, and that any decision to alter the substance or timetable of the government’s commitments is overturned immediately. If not, the workforce on the Clyde will rightly feel betrayed, angry and abandoned by the Tories, and the unions will have our full support in fighting these plans.†In last autumn’s defence review, the government announced that it would order eight frigates instead of the original 13; and there are concerns that promised work on smaller offshore patrol vehicles will not be sufficient to keep the yards’ order books full and maintain the workforce. The government is expected to publish a national shipbuilding strategy later this year, and there are also fears that work that has been promised to Scotland could be transferred elsewhere. “It’s about George Osborne’s northern powerhouse and Tory seats in the south,†said one source. SNP MPs Chris Stephens and Carol Monaghan, whose constituencies include the threatened yards, requested a meeting with Philip Dunne, the minister for defence procurement, in March to discuss the future of shipbuilding on the Clyde and emphasised the impact any delays would have locally. Stephens and Monaghan also wrote to the defence secretary seeking assurances that the government “will honour its promises to the workforce and that the procurement timetable will be kept to with no unnecessary delaysâ€. A spokesperson for BAE Systems, which owns the Govan and Scotstoun naval shipyards, said: “Following the strategic defence and security review, we are working with the Ministry of Defence to agree a revised baseline for the type-26 ships and a production schedule for the two additional offshore patrol vessels in Glasgow. We are engaging our trades unions as we work through this process. Our focus is to deliver the capability the Royal Navy needs, while ensuring the best value for UK taxpayers.†Unions have said they are prepared to take radical action to safeguard jobs, including blockading the aircraft carriers being built at Rosyth, where some workers are seconded. “Those ships are going nowhere,†one insider said. Before the referendum, the Guardian reported from BAE’s Scotstoun shipyard and found local workers well aware of the pro-union campaign’s warnings about the threat to the shipyards in the event of a yes vote. Most workers were opposed independence, with locals raising concerns about sterling, taxes and jobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrmad Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 The Unions and the Government told us pre-referendum that a Yes vote would jeopardise Clyde jobs... Now look... http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/apr/22/clyde-shipworkers-glasgow-fear-for-jobs-mod-contracts-delays?CMP=share_btn_tw Shipworkers on the Clyde in Glasgow are gearing up for a battle to save their jobs, amid fears the government is backsliding on a pledge to provide a steady stream of orders to safeguard the industry in what is being described as a potential hammer blow to British shipbuilding. Work on new type-26 frigates ordered by the Ministry of Defence, in a deal announced by David Cameron, had been expected to begin this year, but there are concerns it could be delayed until 2017. Plans for a state-of-the-art “frigate factory†– which it had been hoped would help the yard win future export orders – also appear to have been shelved, and there are concerns that work promised to Scotland will be relocated to England. The multimillion-pound contract was announced in February 2015, having been delayed until after the Scottish independence referendum, during which the future of shipbuilding on the Clyde was a key issue. Pro-union campaigners insisted that loss of contracts would be inevitable if Scotland became independent because UK military ships can only be built in UK shipyards. Another MoD contract, this time to build smaller offshore patrol vessels, was announced by the coalition government during the final weeks of the referendum campaign. It was regarded with suspicion by many yes voters who believed that the no campaign – dubbed Project Fear – was over-selling the threat to jobs should Scotland choose to become independent. With an electorate still very much alive to charges of betrayal of commitments made before the referendum, this latest jobs threat on the Clyde could harm the Scottish Conservatives as they attempt to exploit Labour’s weakness and become the second party and main opposition to the SNP in May’s Holyrood elections. The shadow defence secretary, Emily Thornberry, insisted the government must honour its commitments to Glasgow workers. She said: “This would be a hammer blow to the British shipbuilding industry, one that cannot be allowed, so I have immediately written to [defence secretary] Michael Fallon demanding assurances that the Tories will honour the commitments they made to the people of Glasgow. “It is essential that the type-26 project goes ahead as planned, and that any decision to alter the substance or timetable of the government’s commitments is overturned immediately. If not, the workforce on the Clyde will rightly feel betrayed, angry and abandoned by the Tories, and the unions will have our full support in fighting these plans.†In last autumn’s defence review, the government announced that it would order eight frigates instead of the original 13; and there are concerns that promised work on smaller offshore patrol vehicles will not be sufficient to keep the yards’ order books full and maintain the workforce. The government is expected to publish a national shipbuilding strategy later this year, and there are also fears that work that has been promised to Scotland could be transferred elsewhere. “It’s about George Osborne’s northern powerhouse and Tory seats in the south,†said one source. SNP MPs Chris Stephens and Carol Monaghan, whose constituencies include the threatened yards, requested a meeting with Philip Dunne, the minister for defence procurement, in March to discuss the future of shipbuilding on the Clyde and emphasised the impact any delays would have locally. Stephens and Monaghan also wrote to the defence secretary seeking assurances that the government “will honour its promises to the workforce and that the procurement timetable will be kept to with no unnecessary delaysâ€. A spokesperson for BAE Systems, which owns the Govan and Scotstoun naval shipyards, said: “Following the strategic defence and security review, we are working with the Ministry of Defence to agree a revised baseline for the type-26 ships and a production schedule for the two additional offshore patrol vessels in Glasgow. We are engaging our trades unions as we work through this process. Our focus is to deliver the capability the Royal Navy needs, while ensuring the best value for UK taxpayers.†Unions have said they are prepared to take radical action to safeguard jobs, including blockading the aircraft carriers being built at Rosyth, where some workers are seconded. “Those ships are going nowhere,†one insider said. Before the referendum, the Guardian reported from BAE’s Scotstoun shipyard and found local workers well aware of the pro-union campaign’s warnings about the threat to the shipyards in the event of a yes vote. Most workers were opposed independence, with locals raising concerns about sterling, taxes and jobs. All lies, those jobs are as safe as safe can be, we voted NO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fide Posted April 22, 2016 Author Share Posted April 22, 2016 All lies, those jobs are as safe as safe can be, we voted NO. Yup. GMB backed the No camp on the back of assurances jobs wouldn't be lost. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of Labour and Tory types grinning away on Clydeside in the run up to indyref, assuring us that a No vote was the only way to safeguard jobs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strichener Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Yup. GMB backed the No camp on the back of assurances jobs wouldn't be lost. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of Labour and Tory types grinning away on Clydeside in the run up to indyref, assuring us that a No vote was the only way to safeguard jobs... This is not a surprise, it only took 2 months after the referendum for the MOD to warn that it may not give the contract to the BAE Clyde yards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thistle_do_nicely Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Think renton on here called it a couple of years ago that they were only ever at most going to order around half the ships required, a solution which leaves everyone unhappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P45 Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 The MOD is getting it's budget cut to the bone more and more each year and they need to spread these orders across all the yards in the UK. It was bullshit from Cameron but I doubt many people fell for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peppino Impastato Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Just one of many, many, many outright lies told by the no camp and parroted by a compliant media. It even goes on in that very article which still states, erroneously, that UK military ships cannot be built outside the UK. As all yes voters were shouting out at the time they are built in S Korea amongst other places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjw Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTG_03 Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 The UK government really don't care about us just now. We voted no 18months ago and there's no referendum in the near future. They can do whatever they want to us knowing there's no danger of us leaving. The polls still favour the Union even after all the broken promises. Ref2 is still a few years away yet and they'll play the same game with a compliant media. And it might just work again. Fingers crossed it doesn't tho! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Rational Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 1461357300224.jpg Have you got a ginger cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Labour stood as guarantor for Tory promises. They really have been made to look fucking stupid these past couple of years. Credulously fronting up for the Tory establishment and then being the ones squeezed between independence and unionism as the constitutional question refuses to go away. Their decline must now be terminal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 1461357300224.jpg Interesting that Kez has said the Tories must keep their promise she forgot it was hers as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjw Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 It's OK, Ian Murray will be asking questions in parliament about this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Interesting that Kez has said the Tories must keep their promise she forgot it was hers as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fide Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Better Together â€@UK_Together 8 Oct 2013 RT if you want to keep Scottish shipyards open. Thousands of jobs rely on Royal Navy contracts. #indyref 183 retweets 34 likes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colkitto Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Better Together â€@UK_Together 8 Oct 2013RT if you want to keep Scottish shipyards open. Thousands of jobs rely on Royal Navy contracts. #indyref 183 retweets 34 likes Union convenors have blood on their hands too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Union convenors have blood on their hands too! I'm sure not a single one of them was offered a ride on the gravy train in a safe (lol) labour seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlion Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 The UK government really don't care about us just now. We voted no 18months ago and there's no referendum in the near future. They can do whatever they want to us knowing there's no danger of us leaving. The polls still favour the Union even after all the broken promises. Ref2 is still a few years away yet and they'll play the same game with a compliant media. And it might just work again. Fingers crossed it doesn't tho! This is exactly the UK government's view of how political unions and referenda work, and was confirmed by Michael Gove - yet no one seems to have picked up. The little rubber faced gonk said: "If we vote to stay we are voting to give away more power and control this year and every year. "We are voting to be a hostage, locked in the boot of a car driven by others to a place and at a pace that we have not control over." So there we go - when Scotland elected to remain a region of the UK, the UK government saw it as us bending over and inviting them to have a little fun with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fide Posted April 25, 2016 Author Share Posted April 25, 2016 Labour MP John Woodcock has REAL issues with the SNP. Today he asked Defence Minister Philip Dunn "does he have an estimate of the percentage of work on frigates on the Clyde and has that changed and does the government have an estimate of how fewer jobs in ship building related roles that would be in Scotland (turns to SNP benches and jabs finger angrily) if the SNP has got it's wish in carrying out it's OBSESSION with taking Scotland out the UK?" Labour really haven't handled the yellow tsunami well have they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colkitto Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 Labour MP John Woodcock has REAL issues with the SNP. Today he asked Defence Minister Philip Dunn "does he have an estimate of the percentage of work on frigates on the Clyde and has that changed and does the government have an estimate of how fewer jobs in ship building related roles that would be in Scotland (turns to SNP benches and jabs finger angrily) if the SNP has got it's wish in carrying out it's OBSESSION with taking Scotland out the UK?" Labour really haven't handled the yellow tsunami well have they? Watched that just now - what an arsehole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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