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BAE confirms it will cut 600 jobs | |
(20 minutes later) | |
Defence company BAE has confirmed it will cut almost 600 jobs at its Brough site, near Hull and its Woodford plant near Manchester. | |
A failure to win new orders is thought to be behind the move, which will see almost a quarter of the 2,000 staff at Brough lose their jobs. | |
Engineers will be most affected, but staff in support and manufacturing at Brough will also be affected. | |
Union officials said they would resist compulsory redundancies. | |
The Brough facility is the home of the Hawk trainer jet, while Woodford is where the Nimrod surveillance aircraft is made. | |
About 134 job cuts are planned at the Woodford operation, near Manchester, with 450 job losses expected at Brough. | |
BAE is Hull's biggest employer and the cuts will be a blow to the local economy. | |
Uncertain future | |
"Only a few days ago, the Red Arrows had the Hawks on display to celebrate the RAF's 90th anniversary," said Unite national officer Bernie Hamilton. | "Only a few days ago, the Red Arrows had the Hawks on display to celebrate the RAF's 90th anniversary," said Unite national officer Bernie Hamilton. |
"Sadly, the future for the skilled workers that built these state-of-the-art jets is now uncertain." | "Sadly, the future for the skilled workers that built these state-of-the-art jets is now uncertain." |
He added that the union knew it would have a "challenge on our hands" at both sites as a result of rising competition, but said that the UK government should work to safeguard the country's aerospace industry for future generations. | He added that the union knew it would have a "challenge on our hands" at both sites as a result of rising competition, but said that the UK government should work to safeguard the country's aerospace industry for future generations. |
"The workload for the engineering team makes the current staffing level unsustainable, regrettably resulting in the redundancy announcement," BAE said in a statement. | |
Woodford site general manager Jim Welsh said: "We recognise that this is a difficult period for all employees and their families and we will continue to do everything practical to mitigate the number of compulsory job losses." |