{"id":18021,"date":"2019-05-09T15:57:33","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T14:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=18021"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:56:47","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:56:47","slug":"melrose-agm-lobbies-shareholders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=18021","title":{"rendered":"‘We aren’t walking away from this’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Unite delegation descended on Melrose\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s annual general meeting (AGM) today (May 9) in London, where they lobbied shareholders and grilled board members over the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s proposed plans to close the GKN Kings Norton factory, putting 200 jobs at risk.<\/p>\n

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They leafletted outside the AGM, urging shareholders to press the Melrose board to rethink the closure and to vote against the remuneration report, which if approved could see Melrose\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s top bosses raking in millions.<\/p>\n

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Unite regional officer Peter Coulson (pictured below), who attended the demo outside the AGM, highlighted the commitments that Melrose gave before a Commons select committee only 12 months ago following its hostile takeover of GKN.<\/p>\n

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\"GKN

Unite regional officer Peter Coulson<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMelrose pledged to invest in its UK sites and workforce yet here we are 12 months later and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve completely reneged on their commitment,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re here to ask shareholders to impress upon the board to retract the proposal, have meaningful discussions with Unite and be prepared to listen to our business plan.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Coulson spoke of the reaction from the workforce after\u00c2\u00a0they learned that the Kings Norton site, where windscreens and windows for military and civilian aircraft are produced, would shut in 2021.<\/p>\n

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\"GKN

Unite delegation leaflets Melrose shareholders<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe general feeling from our members has been one of shock,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey were informed 12 months ago that there would be no closure. The impact this will have on the local community will be devastating. This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just about the loss of 200 jobs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it represents the loss of income for business in the surrounding area. This spreads too to second- and third-tier suppliers.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite senior shop stewards Darren Smith and Peter Hunt, who UniteLive caught up with later at Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s central office after the AGM, both agreed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe were totally shocked when we heard the news,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Darren explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d had a good year last year and we had a really good order book for 2019. So we assumed it was going to be another good year \u00e2\u20ac\u201c better than last. There was no inkling that there was any threat to the site. It was totally out of the blue.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Peter pointed out that the company had even spent substantial amounts of money on training in the last year.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve no idea where this plan to shut the site has come from \u00e2\u20ac\u201c especially given that I believe this year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s order book was the best one we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had in at least a decade.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Both Peter and Darren highlighted a sense of betrayal among the workforce, many of whom believed Melrose when the firm said it would invest in GKN.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bObviously we fought against the Melrose takeover but when they eventually took over and gave all sorts of assurances over investment, it gave workers a lot of confidence. We thought \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Wow, this could be something new and fresh\u00e2\u20ac\u2122,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Peter noted.<\/p>\n

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The Unite shop stewards emphasised how the local community and economy revolves around the Kings Norton site.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe vast majority of workers live five or ten minutes from the site,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Darren explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bMost people pop to the local petrol station on their way to or from work, buy their newspaper from the shop and so on. When you have nearly 200 people coming and going five days a week, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always passing trade in the local shops. If that factory closes that will all be gone.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Peter added that the closure of the GKN site will leave many families in the area struggling to find decently paid work in an area where well-paid and highly skilled manufacturing jobs are scarce.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFor me personally, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a one-income family with a disabled wife. And I know I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not the only one who will struggle if the site closes down. This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just about our jobs; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about our families.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Peter and Darren both urged Melrose to rethink their plans.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a case of \u00e2\u20ac\u0098they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve tried to improve the site but failed,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Darren explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even tried as far as we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re concerned.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMelrose is trying to blame GKN but Melrose is now the parent company and they are the ones who are in the end accountable,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Peter added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been any alternatives that have been looked at. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re calling on them to give us a chance; to remember their promises and to reconsider.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Unite national officer Rhys McCarthy agreed as he called on Melrose to \u00e2\u20ac\u015bthink again and work with us to re-examine the business case for the closure of King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Norton. We believe the site can have a bright future and grow over the long-term.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Coulson said that lobbying shareholders at today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s AGM was only the beginning in the fight to save the Kings Norton plant.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe support we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve received from local MP Richard Burden has been so far fantastic,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he told UniteLive. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be meeting with him further so he can help us press our case with the appropriate ministers. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll also be organising local rallies and holding Melrose\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s feet to the fire.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Peter said the workforce was determined in their fight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to walk away from this.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  • Pics: Mark Thomas<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A Unite delegation descended on Melrose\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s annual general meeting (AGM) today (May 9) in London, where they lobbied shareholders and grilled board members over the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s proposed plans to close the GKN Kings Norton factory, putting 200 jobs at risk.   They leafletted outside the AGM, urging shareholders to press the Melrose board to rethink […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[624,865],"wps_subtitle":"Unite delegation lobbies shareholders over Kings Norton plant closure at Melrose AGM","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18021"}],"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\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18021"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25295,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18021\/revisions\/25295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}