Job cuts: ‘Too deep and too fast’

Unite warned Rolls-Royce against cutting ‘too deep and too fast’ after the engineering firm today (June 14) announced that it was planning to cut several thousand largely managerial and administrative jobs in the UK.

Responding to the announcement, Unite warned of a ‘dire economic’ impact on communities reliant on Rolls-Royce jobs and said it would be giving maximum support to its affected members.

As part of a recent collective agreement with Rolls-Royce, Unite secured a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies. Unite said it would be seeking similar guarantees for its members affected by today’s announcement who were not covered by that collective agreement.

“This announcement will be deeply unsettling for Rolls-Royce workers and their families and could have a dire economic impact on local communities reliant on Roll-Royce jobs,” he said.

“There is a real danger that Rolls-Royce will cut too deep and too fast with these jobs cuts, which could ultimately damage the smooth running of the company and see vital skills and experience lost.

“Unite will be offering our members maximum support through this process and seeking assurances on no compulsory redundancies from Rolls-Royce for Unite members affected by this announcement.

“Over the coming days Unite will be working with Rolls-Royce, relevant agencies and other employers to find people affected alternative employment and to retain skills in the aerospace sector.”