Memorandum from Amicus
Amicus is the UK's second largest trade union
with 1.2 million members across the private and public sectors.
Our members work in a range of industries including manufacturing,
financial services, print, media, construction and not for profit
sectors, local government, education and the health service.
1. There are currently 115,000 people employed
in the Aerospace and Shipbuilding sector, Amicus represents 63,000
members within this sector, and at the BAE Systems factory at
Barrow-in-Furness there are currently 1,000 Amicus members, at
Devonport Dockyard there are 1,500 Amicus members with a further
13,500 jobs dependent on the yard, at the Faslane Naval Base there
are 500 Amicus members with a further 6,000 jobs supported by
the naval base and at the Coulport Naval Base, out of 400 employees,
200 are Amicus members and there are 1,200 people whose jobs are
dependent on the shipyard. A further 140,000 people are also indirectly
supported by the Aerospace and Shipbuilding industry. These figures
show that a very large number of workers are wholly dependent
on the work commissioned by the MoD in relation to the nuclear
deterrent and the platforms designed and built at these sites.
2. The most significant concern for Amicus
members within this sector is the protection of their jobs, their
skills and their livelihoods. Barrow is the only submarine production
yard in the UK, the capability, skills and expertise of the workers
is unique in the UK. This level of skills and expertise demands
to be protected, encouraged and utilised. The only way this will
happen is with the continued investment by the MoD in providing
a UK replacement nuclear deterrent.
3. The UK Government has clearly committed
itself to a replacement for the existing nuclear deterrent "strong
in defence in fighting terrorism, upholding NATO, supporting our
armed forces at home and abroad and retaining our nuclear deterrent".[1]
The Government has indicated that a decision on replacing Trident
will be needed during the current Parliament. Tony Blair has promised
"the fullest possible debate" on the replacement of
Trident.
4. In any discussion regarding a replacement
for Trident, consideration needs to be accorded to what that replacement
should be. Trident was designed and developed to counteract the
threat posed by the size and technical capabilities of the Soviet
Union, however this threat no longer exists but there have emerged
other and as equally challenging areas of conflict within the
world today. As a consequence of this, questions need to be asked
about the existing nuclear capabilities and what is needed for
these future strategic operational challenges.
5. UK current capability comprises four
Vanguard class nuclear powered submarines (SSBNs) each with 16
launch tubes of trident D.5. Missiles. All other nuclear weapons
systems were phased out by the end of the 1990s and the situation
now is to clarify whether the replacement of Trident is also to
be a submarine based capability.
6. Government surveyed other weapons delivery
options before the 1980 Trident option was taken and the alternatives
currently being looked at are not very different from those available
when Trident was chosen. The other replacement options currently
being looked at are:
(a) Land based missiles, these present an
unacceptable level of vulnerability, with little capability of
supporting protection commitments in distant regions.
(b) Air launched missiles, there would need
to be a significant increase in the financial investment if this
option were chosen. This investment would need to create and provide
for aircraft, missiles and warheads of a kind that the UK currently
does not possess. There are also serious concerns about where
this type of capability would be based.
7. The most obvious option is to retain
the existing operational base and established infrastructure of
submarine based missiles, with something that is more flexible
but with the strategic capabilities of the submarine, whereby
it is difficult to detect and also difficult to attack.
8. The cost of the new capability (£15-20
billion has been suggested) is a sizeable sum but is manageable
when viewed as part of the whole defence budget. The procurement
of a new generation of submarines designed and built in Barrow-in-Furness
would ensure the retention of the existing jobs and skills base,
while encouraging companies and workers to up their skills levels
to take on board the new skills requirements for this new generation
of submarines. It should also be noted that the Royal Navy currently
possesses the experience and skills to operate the submarine deterrent
system, while any change to the existing system could result in
significant operational problems that could take decades to overcome
and would need a momentous investment in re-skilling, training
and resource capabilities of Royal Navy personnel.
9. Other agencies have argued that the money
spent on defence, and in particular the nuclear deterrent could
be better utilised with spending on health or education. This
is a totally impractical suggestion. If the money spent on the
defence budget ceased, this money would not necessarily be used
for further public sector provision. The idea is unsustainable
and impractical. The funding of the replacement nuclear deterrent
will ensure that many high skilled jobs are retained, new jobs
created and many workers in the industry will be allowed to enjoy
a position of relative security.
10. The UK needs a British designed and
built deterrent. The considerable amount of investment required
within the industry would ensure a programme of research and development
that would take the UK to the forefront of technological design
and manufacture. In real terms this will ensure the future prosperity
and security of many jobs in this manufacturing sector. It would
be insupportable to envisage that this amount of investment could
be sent out of the UK and off-shored to another country. Amicus
is prepared to do all it can to support it's members in retaining
their jobs, protecting their livelihoods and encouraging them
to further the view of workers in the UK manufacturing sector
as highly skilled and highly trained.
11. The existing Vanguard class submarine
has a design life of 25 years, to ensure there is something in
place before 2020; replacements will need to be on the drawing
board by 2007. The Trident programme was the largest ever UK defence
procurement project and was delivered on time and within budget.
The domain expertise and intellectual property remains at Barrow
and Amicus hopes this will encourage and enable the MoD to aim
for a similar outcome by retaining the submarine capability system
at Barrow, while acknowledging the substantive contribution the
workers have made to the success of the project.
12. The design capability at Barrow is unique;
no other place in the UK has this level of design concentration.
If this capability is lost the capacity to design and build other
ships is also lost. SEMTA[2]
has undertaken a supply chain analysis on training and skills
and the local dependency on this employer. The training and skills
capability of this sector cannot be ignored; BAE Systems has taken
on 50 new apprentices as part of their commitment to the continued
investment in training and skills. This opportunity for training
in an "Objective 2"[3]
area, that is polarised, disenfranchised and with high levels
of unemployment cannot be stressed too strongly.
2 October 2006
1 Gordon Brown-Speech at the Mansion House, City of
London, 21 June 2006. Back
2
The Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering, Manufacturing
Technologies Alliance. Back
3
Funded through, the England Rural Development Programme www.defra.gov.uk/rural/structure/obj2.htm Back
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