APPENDIX 4
Memorandum submitted by the Royal Ordnance
Defence, Birtley, Joint Trade Union Committee
1. Royal Ordnance Defence, Birtley, is part
of the former Royal Ordnance group, now owned by BAE SYSTEMS.
The following paragraph demonstrates one instance where BAE SYSTEMS
policy had a direct impact on employment.
2. In 1999 Royal Ordnance (then owned by
British Aerospace) were awarded a contract by the UK MoD to manufacture
80,000 of 155mm RO18 Shells. The company machined 25,000 at the
Birtley plant. The remainder 55,000 were machined by Eurometaal
in Holland. The Birtley site Joint Trade Union Committee have
questioned the company on several occasions and received three
different explanations:
(a) UK MoD had insisted on this workshare.
(b) Owed to the Dutch under offsets debt.
(c) To avoid recruitment at the Birtley site.
3 January 2001
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