{"id":19224,"date":"2019-10-09T11:36:22","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T10:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=19224"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:55:08","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:55:08","slug":"gove-meeting-manufacturing-brexit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=19224","title":{"rendered":"‘Time is running out’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Amid mounting concern the that UK will crash out of the European Union without a Brexit deal, the country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leading campaigning union, Unite, is to reconvene with cabinet minister Michael Gove today (October 9) to warn that time is running out for the government to prove that it cares about the jobs and communities most at risk from a calamitous exit.<\/p>\n

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Leading a delegation of long-serving manufacturing workers with deep knowledge of their industry, Unite will meet with Michael Gove, the minister responsible for coordinating the governments Brexit strategy, in what could become a last ditch bid to persuade ministers to comprehend the enormity of a no deal Brexit on working communities.<\/p>\n

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The latest meeting comes on the heels of a previous meeting in August<\/a> between Unite manufacturing reps and Gove, who pledged continued dialogue.<\/p>\n

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Representatives from Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls Royce will be among those seeking clear answers to issues raised in previous meetings and to urge ministers to finally grasp the sheer scale of the catastrophic impact a no deal Brexit will have on jobs and communities.<\/p>\n

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The union says that previous meetings with ministers have revealed a desperate lack of understanding of both modern manufacturing and the ramifications of the policy being pursued by government.<\/p>\n

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Ahead of the meeting, Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe are really hoping today for a sense that the penny has dropped, that government now better understands the grave dangers no deal poses to the jobs of working people.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur previous meetings left us with no confidence that the government was facing the realities of a no deal on our manufacturing industries and too ready to brush off evidence-based argument as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098project fear\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. I would ask them not to be so cavalier when we return today with representatives who between them have hundreds of years of experience of this sector, who are telling them to their face that a no deal Brexit is a death sentence for jobs and investment.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTime is rapidly running out. \u00c2\u00a0We need you to rule out any threat of a no deal Brexit and the disastrous consequences that will follow. Our world class manufacturers cannot move forward with investment in new plant or tooling, replacement models or new designs because of the fear that within weeks the massive uncertainty currently facing the sector will become unprecedented chaos.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI am appealing to Mr Gove:\u00c2\u00a0 please listen very carefully to these workers and give them the assurances they need that you get it and you care. If you cannot do that, it won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be because you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand the impact of what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to conclude that you and the government you represent simply don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Attending the meeting with Mr Gove will be\u00c2\u00a0Mick Graham, Unite convenor at Jaguar Land Rover.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t recognise the rosy glow that Mr Gove and other ministers are trying to put on their Brexit strategy,” he said.\u00c2\u00a0“It bears no relation to the realities of Jaguar Land Rover where we rely on frictionless trade and open customs arrangements to ensure the just in time delivery of the 20m components our plants consume every day.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bRight now, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look my colleagues in the eye and tell them that everything will be fine because it won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be.\u00c2\u00a0 This is Mr Gove\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chance to convince me otherwise.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Unite convenor at British Steel Tony Pearson added, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBritish Steel supports\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0the jobs and livelihoods of\u00c2\u00a025,000 people directly and across our supply chain.\u00c2\u00a0 We produce a product vital to our country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s manufacturing base but it will be hanging by a thread if no deal is the Brexit outcome.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI come from a community that was hit hard by the impact of 1980\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Conservative ideology under Mrs Thatcher.\u00c2\u00a0 We will not let another government destroy our jobs and communities. These are people we are talking about, with bills to pay, families to raise and communities to support. \u00c2\u00a0We will not allow them to be treated as collateral damage for those hell bent on a no deal or bad Brexit.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Unite representatives from other manufacturers added their concerns about the impact of no deal on jobs in the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s manufacturing heartlands, with Unite Convenor Peter Tsouvallaris saying “no deal is not an option”.<\/p>\n

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It will be catastrophic for our members there and would risk up to 15,000 jobs in and around the area,” he said.<\/p>\n

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Unite deputy convenor at Nissan in Sunderland Craig McDonald\u00c2\u00a0added, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs far as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m concerned, no deal must be taken off the table because you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to affect 40,000 jobs in the north east and across the UK. We need frictionless borders and no tariffs — end of story.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Unite deputy convenor at the Vauxhall van plant in Luton, Paul Geary, called no deal “a terrible deal for the van and Light Commercial Vehicle\u00c2\u00a0market and our suppliers. It will affect 25,000 jobs locally. Take no deal off the table.”<\/p>\n

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Steve Turner and Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s manufacturing representatives are meeting Michael Gove at\u00c2\u00a03.15pm\u00c2\u00a0today (October 9) at the Cabinet Office, Whitehall.<\/p>\n

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Unite has been campaigning against a no deal Brexit warning that such an outcome will devastate employment and manufacturing right across the UK.<\/p>\n

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