‘Massive blow’

Unite said the announcement  that Cummins Generator Technologies is to close one of its sites in Stamford threatening  about 300  jobs is ‘a massive blow to the Lincolnshire  economy’.

It is reported that Cummins currently employs 500 people in Stamford, but the company says new investment will safeguard the jobs of 150 people.
Unite regional officer Scott Lennon said, “Today’s announcement is a massive blow to the Lincolnshire economy and is terrible news for the workers, whose jobs are under threat, and their families.

“The company, which makes generators for power stations, appears to be blaming the state of the UK economy and Brexit for this decision. There are also proposals to move some production to Romania,” he added.

“However, when we meet the management on Monday (October 9), we will be pressing hard for the rationale behind the business case for the closure of the Barnack Road site within the next 12 months.

“We are entering the 45-day consultation period and our goal is to safeguard the employment of our members to the maximum extent and investigate the plans to move 150 people to a centre of excellence in Ryhall Road in the town.

“This still leaves some 300 workers rightly concerned about their future.

“Cummins is a profitable company and we will be exploring opportunities for redeployment to the company’s sites at Daventry and Peterborough,” Lennon went on to say

“Unite takes the loss of skilled manufacturing jobs in the UK very seriously and we will be working very hard to ensure that as many jobs as possible are retained in Stamford. We will leave no stone unturned to this end.”

Unite has about 370 members at Cummins in Stamford and they include production workers and skilled engineering staff.