Examination of Witnesses (Questions 95-99)
MR BERNIE
HAMILTON, MR
KEITH HAZLEWOOD,
MR BOB
KING AND
MR TERRY
WAITING
21 NOVEMBER 2006
Q95 Chairman: Good morning and welcome
to this evidence session about the future of the UK's strategic
nuclear deterrent. This is the second of a series of inquiries
we are doing into the strategic nuclear deterrent. The first was
into the global context and the timetable required for decision-making.
This one is into the manufacturing and skills base. There will
be further inquiries during the course of this Parliament and
we are all now waiting for the Government's White Paper. Until
that is published, we have to assume that all the options on the
future of the deterrent remain open, and so the purpose of this
morning's evidence session is to focus on the possibility—and
it is only at the moment a possibility—that the United Kingdom
might go for a renewal of a submarine-based deterrent. To witnesses
and to everybody else I would say please do not take this as a
sign that we favour the option of a submarine-based deterrent—we
might or we might not—we are simply exploring the implications
of various options at the moment, so that is the basis on which
we are conducting this evidence session today. Welcome to the
witnesses and thank you very much indeed for coming to give evidence.
I wonder if you could begin—and we have met some of you
before—by introducing yourselves and saying what you do,
what your organisations do, where you are based, and what sort
of work your members do. Mr Waiting?
Mr Waiting: Thank you, Chairman.
My name is Terry Waiting and I am the Chairman of KOFAC, that
is the Keep Our Future Afloat Campaign, in Barrow-in-Furness.
It was established in 2004 after the announcement of 700 redundancies
in the shipbuilding industry in Barrow. We were set up to lobby
for shipbuilding jobs and to make sure that the people that mattered
were aware of our concerns, were aware of what was happening in
the shipyard and of the changes that were being made. I am Branch
Secretary of Amicus, the union. I am also the leader of the local
Labour Group on Barrow Borough Council. KOFAC is a community campaign
that is led by the trade union movement and that involves the
community and people throughout the North West. I think that is
all I need to say.
Q96 Chairman: Thank you. Could you say
how many people in Barrow work in the submarine industry?
Mr Waiting: Directly employed
in the submarine industry in Barrow-in-Furness there are now 3,600.
That includes 200 contract workers and 3,450 direct workers in
the shipyard.
Q97 Chairman: Thank you very much.
Mr Hazlewood?
Mr Hazlewood: Good morning, Chairman
and ladies and gentlemen of the Select Committee. My name is Keith
Hazlewood. I am GMB National Secretary for Engineering and Manufacturing.
Our head office is in Wimbledon. I have a responsibility for national
negotiations in shipbuilding, aerospace, steel, engineering, construction,
thermal insulation and the offshore industry. In the submarine
programme the GMB members predominantly are steelworkers. These
are the people that actually build the ships, the welders, the
platers, etc.
Q98 Chairman: And can you say
how many of your members work in the submarine industry?
Mr Hazlewood: In the two yards
that I have association with in Barrow-in-Furness and DML, we
have 2,000 members.
Q99 Chairman: Thank you. Mr Hamilton?
Mr Hamilton: Good morning, Chairman,
ladies and gentlemen. My name is Bernie Hamilton and I am lead
industrial officer for Amicus for the aerospace and shipbuilding
sector. I have responsibility for negotiations and conditions
of employment within those two industrial sectors. We have membership
across the whole spectrum of the industry covering design, research,
fabrication and manufacturing skills, and in every establishment
that is involved in this sector of industry at Devonport, Faslane,
Barrow, Rolls-Royce and Aldermaston.
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