{"id":11861,"date":"2017-03-22T15:22:53","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T15:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=11861"},"modified":"2017-03-23T12:40:09","modified_gmt":"2017-03-23T12:40:09","slug":"unite-hails-cab-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=11861","title":{"rendered":"Unite hails cab victory"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Makers of the iconic London black cab, the London Taxi Company (LTC), launched a new state-of-the-art plant today (March 22) in the West Midlands to much fanfare in what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been dubbed \u00e2\u20ac\u015bone of the great comeback stories in UK manufacturing history\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The \u00c2\u0141300m investment by the Chinese company Geely will see the emphasis at the new site at Ansty, near Coventry, on the TX5 electric taxi with the goal of producing 5,000 such vehicles by 2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite members from both manufacturing and Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cab section attended the launch today, which included a ribbon cutting ceremony (pictured above), as well as presentations and a plant tour.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s launch celebrated the crowning achievement of an unlikely success story, one which would not have come to fruition had it not been for the efforts of Unite.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Less than four years ago, the London Taxi Company was on the brink of shutting down after it went into administration in 2013.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke told UNITElive that the company was then \u00e2\u20ac\u015bon its knees\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAll jobs had been lost,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was a very dark time\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But thanks to the hard work of Unite members working together \u00e2\u20ac\u201c both Unite LTC members as well as Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cab section – they were able to make the case for saving the firm. Eventually Chinese company Geely bought the London Taxi Company and agreed to continue investing in its future success.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"22

From today’s Ansty plant launch, copyright: Dave Smith \/ PatrickGosling
<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘A great credit to Unite’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe turnaround was remarkable \u00e2\u20ac\u201c all workers who had been laid off were taken back on,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Burke said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis comeback is a great credit to the union.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNow, not only have jobs been saved but with the additional investment from Geely, hundreds more jobs have been created with the production of the new electric taxi. This is great news for the West Midlands and for UK manufacturing as a whole.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite regional officer Peter Coulson agreed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is fantastic news in terms of highly skilled jobs for our members and the future creation of employment opportunities,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt will be a wonderful boost to the West Midlands economy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite has worked very closely and successfully with the company to contribute to this success story which is one of the great comebacks in Britain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s long industrial history.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGeely sees great potential for the iconic London taxi which is famous across the world with its cameo appearances at the 2012 London Olympics and in the James Bond film franchise,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Coulson added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe company is already exporting to the Middle East and is eyeing up the Australian market.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite shop steward Paul Williams, who played a central role in the campaign to save the company, said that the odds were from the beginning stacked against them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn 2012, things were looking really bad \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a matter of if the company would go to into administration, it was a matter of when. The situation had a certain inevitability to it.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many of the workers, Williams noted, had been with the company for 30 or 40 years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was a family-run company,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe news was devastating as it had an impact on generations of families working in the same company.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Williams was himself made redundant. But he and Unite regional officer Peter Coulson immediately got together to embark on a 13-week campaign which gained the full support of Unite, especially the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cab section, and various politicians.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe spoke to local MPs and we eventually made the case to Michael Fallon, who was business minister at the time, that the iconic black cab must continue to be produced in the UK,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bHe backed our campaign and from there the media attention just grew exponentially. The story wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t only on the local news in the Midlands \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it was on national TV. Keeping the story in the public eye I think was crucial.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The campaign\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eventual success was more than they had ever dreamed of, Williams noted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve gone from a fairly decrepit factory that was on the brink of shutting down to a new state of the art facility with hundreds of millions in investment making electric cabs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the London black cabs of the future,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

World class<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a world-class workforce making a making a world-class taxi. Not only this, but the company is exporting globally with the aim of growing into several more world markets in the future.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The campaign to save the company would not have been so successful had it not been for the support of Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cab section, which jumped into help right away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe linked up with the campaign immediately,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 explained Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s London Cab Section chair Jim Kelly. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bPolitical lobbying \u00e2\u20ac\u201c meeting with government ministers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c along with campaigning on the streets and raising awareness among the general public was our essential strategy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe were also influential in putting the case to Geely that the project to continue manufacturing black cabs in Coventry had a viable future because there was such great demand from cab drivers. That the drivers were so insistent in wanting this I think really helped convince Geely.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kelly added that the London Taxi Company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s turnaround was \u00e2\u20ac\u015ba good example that shows that with our highly skilled workforce, things can still be built in the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs a trade union, we believe in keeping jobs and skills in the UK,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need to have a strong manufacturing base in this country and we need more highly skilled apprenticeships \u00e2\u20ac\u201c our children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s future depends on it.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kelly pointed to the critical importance of investing in low-emissions cars, of which LTC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s electric hybrid TX5 (pictured below), which will go on sale in the UK later this year, will play a central role.<\/p>\n

\"22

LTC’s new TX5 electric taxi,\u00c2\u00a0copyright: Dave Smith \/ PatrickGosling
<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is obvious from the many discussions we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had in London that we need to clean up our air,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn the first five days of 2017, London collectively exceeded air pollution limits that were set for the entire year. Something has to be done.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWith the new electric cabs we can lead the way in improving air quality \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we can set the agenda that influences others towards a more sustainable future.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kelly paid tribute to all the hard work Unite had done in ensuring the campaign\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s success.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015b[Unite general secretary] Len McCluskey played a pivotal role in supporting us with the resources we needed. The involvement of others such as [Unite assistant general secretary] Tony Burke, [Unite national officer] Roger Maddison and many more was absolutely instrumental. This campaign would not have had legs without the help of Unite.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt shows what we as a trade union \u00e2\u20ac\u201c with different sectors and regions working towards the same industrial aims \u00e2\u20ac\u201c can accomplish when we support each other.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The opening of the new Ansty site has seen the workforce grow to 700. By 2020, it is expected that more than 1,000 people will be employed at the plant. Production of the TX5 is set to begin in the summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Makers of the iconic London black cab, the London Taxi Company (LTC), launched a new state-of-the-art plant today (March 22) in the West Midlands to much fanfare in what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been dubbed \u00e2\u20ac\u015bone of the great comeback stories in UK manufacturing history\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.   The \u00c2\u0141300m investment by the Chinese company Geely will see the emphasis at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11858,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[114,386,33,621],"wps_subtitle":"UK manufacturing result as LTC plant opens","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11861"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11861"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11862,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11861\/revisions\/11862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}