{"id":21559,"date":"2020-05-20T15:02:33","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T14:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=21559"},"modified":"2020-05-20T17:18:04","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T16:18:04","slug":"shameful-opportunism-rolls-royce-jobs-axe-plan-slammed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=21559","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Shameful opportunism\u00e2\u20ac\u2122: Rolls-Royce jobs axe plan slammed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Responding to the news today (May 20) that Rolls-Royce is to cut 9,000 jobs globally, 3,375 of them in the UK,\u00c2\u00a0by the end of 2020 with more to come in 2021, Unite assistant general secretary for manufacturing Steve Turner said,\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe news that Rolls Royce is preparing to throw thousands of skilled, loyal, world class workers, their families and communities under the bus during the worst public\u00c2\u00a0health crisis since 1918 is shameful opportunism.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Unite is concerned that Rolls-Royce will do as it has done in the past \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and have\u00c2\u00a0the majority of its planned job cuts fall upon the UK.<\/p>\n

The confirmation is serious news across the entire of the aerospace and aviation sectors. In recent days, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve reported that at least 28,000 potential job cuts in the sectors and associated industries, including, Rolls-Royce and British Airways, have been announced. That figure now is over 30,000 jobs at risk.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn recent weeks, thousands of skilled jobs have gone and we are seriously concerned that we are going back to the dark days of the 1980s when businesses ran away from their responsibilities to workers who were the basis of their success,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 commented Steve Turner.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bActions then condemned hundreds of thousands to unemployment and\u00c2\u00a0our status as a major manufacturing nation was destroyed.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur country became a divided and depleted place as a result.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0We appeal to government and employers, do not repeat\u00c2\u00a0the mistakes of the past.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

And Turner is not alone. Only today Unite assistant general secretary, Diana Holland, gave evidence to a parliamentary sub-committee on coronavirus and the aviation sector. She said that she was \u00e2\u20ac\u015bextremely concerned\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 about the future of the aviation industry.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf there isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t revenue coming in to the industry it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just the airlines [affected], it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the airports, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s everything down the line and of course all the people that work there.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe are extremely worried about the future, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why we need to come together now to look at what plan we have to restart, to rebuild confidence.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Holland acknowledged that there may be \u00e2\u20ac\u015btemporary changes\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 to jobs, pay, terms and conditions, but stressed these must not be \u00e2\u20ac\u015bdecimated for the future\u00e2\u20ac\u0165. She added, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is about all of us.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Back at Rolls-Royce Turner told members that Unite was there for them. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur members, fearful and anxious already in the face of a pandemic, will be shocked and\u00c2\u00a0distressed by this news, but we say to them\u00c2\u00a0we have their back at this difficult time.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098No stone unturned\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe will leave no stone unturned in our fight to protect skilled jobs and the backbone of our manufacturing sector.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Turner confirmed Unite would be, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bmeeting with the company over the coming days to convince them to take a different approach, and pressing the government to step up to the plate to protect our manufacturing base.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis company has\u00c2\u00a0accepted\u00c2\u00a0public money to furlough thousands of workers. Unite and Britain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s taxpayers deserve a more responsible approach to a national emergency.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00c2\u00a0call upon Rolls-Royce to step back from the brink and work with us on a better way through this crisis,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

With the level of potential job losses across aerospace and aviation Unite is insisting on urgent government intervention.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is no time for the government to sit on the sidelines,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Turner. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bUK manufacturing has shown that it can adapt quickly to the needs of the nation, working around the clock to produce the kit needed to protect the sick and key workers during this national crisis.\u00c2\u00a0 Do\u00c2\u00a0not let this incredible national resource go to the wall.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI repeat my calls to government: we urgently need you to work with unions and industry on a programme to take industry through the next phase of this crisis.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

One idea that has been mooted is setting up a National Council for Recovery. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s understood that this would be a tripartite, cross party body to develop a clear plan and strategy to recover and rebuild post-Covid-19.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bEstablish a National Council for Recovery and work with us,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 urged Turner, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bsending a clear signal that there is a strategy to reposition UK Plc and build Britain out of this dreadful situation. That is what a nervous business community needs in order to keep investing in our jobs and communities.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWithout this plan\u00c2\u00a0more companies will sack more people and the mass unemployment, broken families and devastated communities that we all dread will become a stark reality.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Compiled by Amanda Campbell @amanda_unite<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis company has\u00c2\u00a0accepted\u00c2\u00a0public money to furlough thousands of workers. Unite and Britain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s taxpayers deserve a more responsible approach to a national emergency.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00c2\u00a0call upon Rolls-Royce to step back from the brink and work with us on a better way through this crisis,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1308,17],"tags":[519,589,1295,189,603],"wps_subtitle":"Unite demands govt works with unions and industry \u00e2\u20ac\u0098to avert disaster\u00e2\u20ac\u2122","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21559"}],"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=21559"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21567,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21559\/revisions\/21567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}