MoD floats Unite’s boats

The ministry of defence (MoD) has awarded £3.2bn worth of contracts for the maintenance of the Royal Navy’s fleet securing 7,500 jobs.

The contract will run for the next five years and will secure jobs across ship building bases at Devonport, Faslane and Portsmouth.

“This is good news for UK manufacturing and shipbuilding and the decision is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our members at these bases whose skills are world-class,” said Ian Waddell, Unite national officer for shipbuilding and aerospace.

The money will also be used to maintain and repair the Royal Navy’s warships and submarines.

Babcock, which manages Faslane Naval base on the Clyde and Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth, was awarded a ÂŁ2.6bn contract while BAE Systems, which manages the Portsmouth Naval Base, was awarded a ÂŁ600m contract.

It will secure up to 4,000 jobs at Devonport, more than 2,000 at Portsmouth and about 1,500 at Faslane.

The investment follows the loss of 1,700 shipbuilding jobs with the ending of all naval construction at Portsmouth last year.

“This is a very welcome boost to our members at the Portsmouth shipyard and the city’s economy. Especially after the hammer blow last year when the ending of naval shipbuilding was announced,” said Unite regional officer Mark Fisher.