Memorandum from GMB
GMB is Britain's General union with members
of 600,000 working in the public, private sectors and manufacturing.
In Manufacturing GMB has members working in
Shipbuilding, Aerospace, Engineering Construction, Steel, Thermal
Insulation, Furniture, Textiles and Offshore.
One of the immediate concerns for the UK manufacturing
and skills retention is the uncertainty of the future of the nuclear
submarine programme.
1. GMB have members working at BAE Systems
yard at Barrow in Furness and DML.
GMB members working for BAE Systems at Barrow
in probably the most modern submarine build facility in the world
are predominantly steelworkers, welders, platers etc.
There is in the region of 1,000 GMB members
from a workforce of 3,200 direct labour. At DML where the nuclear
submarines are maintained there is again approximately 1,000 GMB
members from a workforce of 4,700 direct labour.
These two yards employ approximately 7,900 core
workforce with possibly double or triple that number in the supply
chain.
2. The skills required to build and maintain
nuclear submarines need to be of the highest quality because of
the nature of the nuclear submarines and the conditions they work
under.
So it is necessary to keep the capability of
a highly skilled competent and motivated workforce, to meet the
capacity demands. It is common knowledge through the industry
that it takes up to nine years to become truly proficient in the
submarine environment.
We need to move away from the industry peaks
and troughs and get stability and consistency in order to attract
new blood and apprentices who will be the future of the industry
so we can keep the world class skills to build world class ships
and submarines in the UK.
3. It is imperative that we have and maintain
a future nuclear submarine build strategy because the defence
capability needs these submarines as a deterrent, other country's
have nuclear submarines and we are all aware of the recent test
in Korea which is causing worldwide concerns, we need the orders
for the UK economy and manufacturing jobs.
If the Nuclear Submarines are not built in the
UK they will be built elsewhere, taking our design technology,
capability, skills and work from local communities and yet more
jobs out of UK manufacturing.
Orders for four more ASTUTE submarines would
be a lifeline for thousands of permanent jobs and more in the
supply chain.
There is no diversification or export opportunity
for Barrow because it is geared up solely to build submarines.
4. We need to support jobs in support of
the Nation and Governments policy on defence.
In places like Barrow, DML and Faslane if they
didn't have the submarine orders the yards would undoubtedly close.
All three sites are in remote parts of the country
and without this work, very little other skilled or semi-skilled
work of this type is available, and to lose these jobs would be
a drain on the country and the UK taxpayer, and so would losing
yet more UK manufacturing jobs, would be a devastating blow to
the local communities.
So it's imperative we maintain a continued flow
of work and skills capability, or these skills could be lost forever.
20 November 2006
| 
