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Shipbuilding in Scotland will face two starkly different choices at the referendum.
Clyde Shipyards - Govan and Scotstoun
- within the UK the Clyde will become the main British centre of excellence for naval surface ships, with the order for the complete run of Type-26 vessels, plus any export work, guaranteeing its future well into the next decade.
The Clyde yards will then be the sole supplier of complex naval ships to the Royal Navy. The Clyde yards will have both security and prosperity by remaining within the United Kingdom.
- Separate from the United Kingdom, the Clyde will not be eligible for UK-restricted orders and will have little prospect of winning export work. The needs of any Scottish Navy will be insufficient to maintain capacity and any attempts to switch into a short run of submarine building will be horrendously expensive.
Outside the UK, the shipyards are doomed.
Rosyth
- In the UK, Rosyth will get carrier refit work over 50 years.
- Outside the UK, there will be no UK naval work and any separate Scottish Navy has been promised to Faslane, to fill part of the hole which will be left by the departure of the entire Royal Navy submarine fleet and vessels presently stationed there.
The impact of a delayed decision
A huge difficulty is caused by the delay in holding the Referendum. We believe the Ministry of Defence will not place an order for the type-26 new Royal Navy frigates until the constitutional position is clear. The Clyde yards will run out of work while the Scottish Government procrastinate.
Delaying the referendum until after the anniversary of Bannockburn in the hope of political gain, but it places thousands of jobs in jeopardy.
Shipbuilding and ship servicing is the clearest example we have yet seen of the stark choice to be faced in the forthcoming referendum:
- orders from the Royal Navy and prosperity by remaining within the UK.
- collapse and closure with Separation.
Given the gloomy future for the Clyde and Rosyth under Separation we believe the Scottish Government now must clarify exactly what alternatives it intends to put in place to safeguard the jobs of the thousands of workers involved in this industry and these local economies.
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