‘Worth fighting for’

MPs are being urged to back the campaign to stop the closure of Honda’s Swindon plant by signing an Early Day Motion (EDM) that calls on the government to deliver on its commitment to work with Unite on a proposal that both keeps Honda in Swindon and preserves the UK’s status as a global leader in the automotive industry.

The Save Honda Swindon EDM tabled by Grahame Morris which has attracted cross party support, comes amid a manufacturing jobs emergency and highlights how 3,500 direct jobs at the plant would go if Honda’s Swindon plant closed with a further 12,500 or more at risk throughout the wider supply chain in the UK.

Unite, the country’s largest manufacturing union, is calling on people to write to their MP asking them to sign the EDM. It follows Saturday’s (March 30) Unite organised march and rally (pictured) which saw thousands take to the streets of Swindon to call on Honda to think again about closing its Swindon factory.

Speaking at the rally, Labour’s shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said, “People know that we’ve got a world-class plant here and a world-class workforce — and that’s worth fighting for.

“The economic shock of [the Honda plant closure] won’t just be felt here in Swindon. It will ripple across the UK. Fifteen thousand jobs both at the plant and across the supply chain [gone]; ÂŁ1.5bn knocked off our national GDP; ÂŁ48m gone in tax — money that should have been going to our NHS and public services. The economic consequences are absolutely devastating.

“It’s critical that the government — that everyone we speak to — realises the economic importance of this plant.”

Unite has undertaken a postcode profile to plot where the workforce lives. Its findings reveal that the Honda pay packet is spent not just in Swindon but in Boston, Milford Haven and Bristol – prompting the union to warn that the economic shockwaves will extend far beyond Swindon.  

The impact of job losses will be felt severely because Honda’s wages are significantly above the regional average. A Honda worker’s average annual wage can range from ÂŁ22,000 to over ÂŁ60,000.

“The thousands who took to the streets of Swindon on Saturday to save Honda Swindon know that the plant and workforce can have a viable future if given half a chance by Honda,” said Unite assistant general secretary for manufacturing Steve Turner.

“If Honda closes its Swindon plant, it will send shockwaves through UK manufacturing taking with it 3,500 directly employed workers and more than 12,500 workers throughout its UK supply chain.

“The impact will be felt far and wide in pay packets that support families and communities from Milford Haven and Lampeter to Romford and Boston. The threatened closure of Honda is an issue for MPs and their constituents across the UK, not just Swindon.

“We urge all MPs across political parties to support the workforce backed Early Day Motion and the campaign to save Honda Swindon. We call on the government to deliver on its commitment to work with Unite on a proposal that both keeps Honda in the UK and makes the UK a world leader in electric and alternatively powered vehicles.”

• Pic by Mark Thomas