Support British manufacturing

Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke today (September 28) spoke at the Labour Party conference about manufacturing, growth and the role trade unions can play in being drivers of productivity.

“Our economy is still over-reliant on financial services – and without the success of our automotive and aerospace sectors growth would be back where it was in 2007,” he said.

“Conference, Unite argue that we need a manufacturing strategy to help grow the economy and avoid another economic disaster.”

Burke criticised business secretary Sajid Javid on his recent speech on productivity in which he stated it ‘took UK workers five days to produce what German workers produce in four’.

“What Mr Javid failed to say was that in Germany productivity is higher because workers and unions play a full part in their companies through strong unions who are informed and consulted,” Burke said, adding that German prime minister Angela Merkel recognises the importance of trade unions.

He also pointed to Germany’s support of small and medium sized companies and its well-structured skills and apprenticeship system as other factors contributing to the country’s higher productivity.

Burke highlighted the 1700 job losses announced today after a steel mill in Redcar is to be mothballed, as well as the 2000 job losses at a Goodyear factory in Wolverhampton as proof that the Tory government’s ‘Northern Powerhouse’ pledge was a “cruel joke”.

“Cameron, Osborne, Javid and Boles are behaving like latter day Arthur Dalys looking to skim off the bottom line,” he said.

“You can’t run a successful economy without a strong manufacturing base – and without a strong manufacturing sector you cannot deliver decent public services,” Burke added.

He concluded by calling on the shadow business secretary Angela Eagle and her team “to develop an integrated manufacturing strategy based on decent work, stable jobs with a future and to make it clear that Labour supports British manufacturing.”