Unite plan to revive British manufacturing outlined to TUC Congress
| The British economy can’t survive on services alone – it needs a coherent and strong manufacturing strategy, Unite, the largest union in the country, told the TUC Congress. Unite Assistant General Secretary, Tony Burke was moving the Unite motion that called for a 10-point plan to kick-start the manufacturing sector which generates £160bn to the UK economy and contributes 46% of export earnings. Speaking in the economy and manufacturing debate, Tony Burke said: ‘We have learnt that no successful modern economy can survive on services alone. We have learnt that the markets do not provide all the answers.’ ‘We can see other countries, such as France and Germany, defending their strategic manufacturing base against the ravages of private equity speculators, and providing support where necessary to manufacturing companies.’ ‘We should be following the same strategy here.’ Tony Burke castigated the coalition government’s decision to withdraw the £80 million loan for Sheffield Forgemasters as a key example of what was wrong with the so-called current manufacturing strategy in UK. Tony Burke said: ‘Here is a modern steel industry company wanting to invest £80 million in new plant to provide the only UK facility capable of providing steel parts for nuclear power stations and create 180 new skilled jobs.’ ‘The private banks were not prepared to lend the money, so the outgoing Labour government offered a loan.’ ‘This was no bail out for a lame duck company. This was a loan – to be paid back! So what do the ConDem coalition do, led by Sheffield MP Nick Clegg? It cancels the loan. This decision was short-sighted and destructive, and based on political dogma.’ Tony Burke outlined the Unite vision for a revitalised manufacturing sector. ‘We have argued for many years that governments are not just about pumping money into industry. It is about creating the right economic climate for products to sell and demand for manufacturing to increase.’ ‘It is about providing support for the training and education necessary to meet the demands of industry, not the other way round. Cutting the science budget is exactly the wrong thing to do, as industry is being asked to respond to the challenges of supporting a low carbon economy.’ The Unite motion contained ten points including: defending strategically important industries, such as chemical and pharmaceuticals, steel, and the car and defence industries continued financial support through interventionist policies maximising the opportunities that the low carbon revolution offers building up the UK’s science capability. |
| Unite’s manufacturing strategy is on: manufacturing into the future |