{"id":29418,"date":"2021-07-07T15:41:40","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T14:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=29418"},"modified":"2021-07-08T14:05:22","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T13:05:22","slug":"we-wont-give-up-the-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=29418","title":{"rendered":"‘We won’t give up the fight’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Unite members at GKN Erdington took their fight to save their plant \u00e2\u20ac\u201c an absolutely vital cog in the wider UK car manufacturing machine \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to Parliament this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday (July 6), the workers met with several Labour MPs — including shadow business secretary Ed Miliband as well as Anneliese Dodds, Grahame Morris, Chris Matheson and others — to call on the government to step in and challenge GKN, owned by Melrose, over plans to close the factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The GKN site in Erdington has a proud history stretching back more than five decades and is the only plant in the UK that produces drivetrains, which are supplied to JLR, Nissan, Toyota and other major UK car manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the plant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s critical importance, Melrose, which controversially staged a hostile takeover of GKN in 2018, announced in January that it would close the site by next year and transfer the work to Poland and France — a move that would imperil more than 500 highly-skilled, specialised UK jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite rep and GKN worker Gwyn Fellows (pictured below), who attended the lobby and demo outside Parliament on Tuesday, told UniteLive exactly what was at stake for him and his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen I first heard the news that the factory would be closing, I felt sick. It was heartbreaking for my family and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just brought on loads of worries,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy biggest fear is trying to find a decent, well-paid job. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m worried about mortgage payments and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m worried about my pension. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got another 20 years of working life left and everything has changed now.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gwyn, who has worked at the GKN factory for 20 years, said he feels especially betrayed by the fact that Melrose broke promises it made in 2018 that it would maintain a UK presence and would not slash jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got the skills and the know-how and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re one of the main suppliers to JLR. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a UK company \u00e2\u20ac\u201c how could they do this to us? They just threw us on the scrapheap for cheap labour. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vile what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite deputy convenor at GKN Erdington Richard Cook likewise expressed disgust at Melrose\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plans to shut the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe company has not honoured its commitments,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd with the govenrment\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plans to ban diesel and petrol vehicles by 2030, it just doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make sense that they would close a plant that has the potential to be a huge player in the drive toward electrification.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Gwyn, Richard also said he and his colleagues have very serious concerns about their and their families\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve worked there for 30 years and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only ever job I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had since finishing school,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a well-paid job with good terms and conditions. We have really specialised skills so to go out into the labour market and find another job if the plant closes will be very difficult for all of us.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite his fears, Richard said he is confident that, with the wider support of Unite and Labour MPs, they will win their fight to save the plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe fight continues as far as we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re concerned,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not going to give up and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not going to let them win. We intend to succeed.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite convenor at GKN Erdington Frank Duffy (pictured below) highlighted the wider ramifications if the plant were to close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe site is absolutely critical because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only plant in the UK at present that supplies drivetrains to JLR, Nissan, Toyota and most of the major UK car manufacturers,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the only plant in the UK that does this type of work. If that plant is shut there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be no drivetrains coming from the UK; they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll all have to be brought in from other parts of Europe.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frank also noted how the plant closure would devastate the local community.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe plant closure would have a massive impact locally,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bErdington has one of the highest levels of unemployment in the UK. So the loss of another 519 jobs in that area would be horrific.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, Unite, alongside other key stakeholders, presented an alternative business plan to GKN Melrose, one which would ensure the plant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s future viability for many decades to come. But weeks later, the company rejected the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA lot of people put a lot of time, work and effort into that plan,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Frank noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was a 90-page plan that covered every single part of the business and it showed that the company could be viable if it were run in a different way. The company itself admitted it was a good plan but still chose to ignore it.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frank said he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t totally surprised given that Melrose\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s entire business model is chasing short-term profits at whatever cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe argued back in 2018 when Melrose took over that this what would happen — that they would move all the work to low-cost countries just to maximise their profits,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been proven right because that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exactly what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labour\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shadow business secretary Ed Miliband (pictured below) agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFrankly it is a disgrace that we have a system in this country where Melrose can takeover GKN,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said in a speech at Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s GKN lobby event. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve read all the promises. People at the time said those promises were vague, unclear and didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually offer real guarantees and that is the way it is turning out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to change the rules to stop this happening,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBecause this is not the only time we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen this. These companies come along, do these takeovers, make vague promises and then the vague promises are broken and jobs are lost.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miliband went on to criticise the government for so far failing to take an active role in saving the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe government wants to go round the country and say they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re committed to leveling up, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re committed to electric vehicle production, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re committed to the supply chain \u00e2\u20ac\u201c let them prove it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no use the government saying ‘well, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing we can do’. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s their job to step up, not to stand aside. If they really stepped in and said they were going to act, then the company would listen.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vowing to continue to pressure the government to act, Miliband noted, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe will never give up hope; we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to do everything in our power and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to keep on fighting with you.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frank Duffy agreed, highlighting that the government has shown the influence it can have in supporting car manufacturing after recent significant investment announcements, including Nissan in Sunderland and Vauxhall in Ellesmere Port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe government has just demonstrated the role that they can play with Nissan and Ellesmere Port,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Frank said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe may not be at the same scale as Nissan but we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re absolutely essential to that wider infrastructure of motor manufacturing in this country. The government needs to step up and support the supply chain as well as the main car manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd we won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give up the fight,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he noted, addressing Labour MPs and Unite members at Tuesday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s event. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWith your support we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll turn it around and we will be a plant that supplies a vibrant motor industry in this country.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Hajera Blagg<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pics by Mark Thomas<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unite members at GKN Erdington took their fight to save their plant \u00e2\u20ac\u201c an absolutely vital cog in the wider UK car manufacturing machine \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to Parliament this week. On Tuesday (July 6), the workers met with several Labour MPs — including shadow business secretary Ed Miliband as well as Anneliese Dodds, Grahame Morris, Chris […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[230,386,624,1683,865],"wps_subtitle":"Unite members at GKN Erdington take the fight to save their plant to Parliament","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29418"}],"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=29418"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29444,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29418\/revisions\/29444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}