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| Scottish secretary urged to clarify future of Clyde shipbuilding jobs | Scottish secretary urged to clarify future of Clyde shipbuilding jobs |
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| Unions have accused the Scottish secretary, David Mundell, of lying to workers about the future of shipbuilding jobs on the Clyde, as the row over the fulfilment of government contracts promised during the Scottish independence referendum continues to escalate. | Unions have accused the Scottish secretary, David Mundell, of lying to workers about the future of shipbuilding jobs on the Clyde, as the row over the fulfilment of government contracts promised during the Scottish independence referendum continues to escalate. |
| GMB Scotland also insists that BAE Systems has made it clear to union reps that it is under pressure to cut the Scottish workforce and outsource work to England to bolster Conservative votes in the south-west and George Osborne’s “northern powerhouse”. | |
| On Monday, Mundell insisted there would be shipbuilding jobs on Clydeside “for years to come”. | On Monday, Mundell insisted there would be shipbuilding jobs on Clydeside “for years to come”. |
| The secretary of GMB Scotland, Gary Smith, has written to Mundell, demanding that he clarify the plan for the future, adding that the minister is being disingenuous and “at worst he has lied to the workers on the Clyde and to the Scottish people”. | The secretary of GMB Scotland, Gary Smith, has written to Mundell, demanding that he clarify the plan for the future, adding that the minister is being disingenuous and “at worst he has lied to the workers on the Clyde and to the Scottish people”. |
| In a letter seen by the Guardian, Smith writes: “You are quoted in the press as saying everything is actually going ‘to plan’. I would be grateful if you could clarify which plan you are referring to. In November 2013 the plan was for 13 ships to be built on the Clyde and a state-of-the-art world-class facility. | In a letter seen by the Guardian, Smith writes: “You are quoted in the press as saying everything is actually going ‘to plan’. I would be grateful if you could clarify which plan you are referring to. In November 2013 the plan was for 13 ships to be built on the Clyde and a state-of-the-art world-class facility. |
| “Subsequently, the plan was amended and the number of ships reduced to eight with a promise of five much smaller offshore patrol vehicles. It now appears we are on plan C with the further 12-month delay in the programme and £75m stripped from the budget.” | “Subsequently, the plan was amended and the number of ships reduced to eight with a promise of five much smaller offshore patrol vehicles. It now appears we are on plan C with the further 12-month delay in the programme and £75m stripped from the budget.” |
| On Monday the defence minister Philip Dunne told the Commons that the government remained committed to building eight Royal Navy frigates on the river Clyde, after unions said they had been warned about hundreds of shipyard redundancies if contracts were not followed through. | |
| The contracts were first promised in the lead up to the Scottish independence referendum, during which the impact of leaving the UK on the future of shipbuilding on the Clyde was a key issue. | The contracts were first promised in the lead up to the Scottish independence referendum, during which the impact of leaving the UK on the future of shipbuilding on the Clyde was a key issue. |
| But Dunne was criticised by Labour and the Scottish National party (SNP) for failing to give assurances on jobs, the timeline of the builds or how many boats would be built in Scotland. | |
| GMB Scotland will lobby members of the defence select committee at Westminster on Wednesday afternoon amid concerns that construction of the T26 frigates – which was supposed to begin this year – will be delayed until 2017. Unions fear that Scotland’s shipbuilding capability could be lost because promised work on smaller offshore patrol vehicles will not be sufficient to keep the yards’ order books full and maintain the highly skilled workforce. | GMB Scotland will lobby members of the defence select committee at Westminster on Wednesday afternoon amid concerns that construction of the T26 frigates – which was supposed to begin this year – will be delayed until 2017. Unions fear that Scotland’s shipbuilding capability could be lost because promised work on smaller offshore patrol vehicles will not be sufficient to keep the yards’ order books full and maintain the highly skilled workforce. |
| On Monday, the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, called on David Cameron to give his “cast-iron commitment” to delivering the contracts on the Clyde. | On Monday, the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, called on David Cameron to give his “cast-iron commitment” to delivering the contracts on the Clyde. |
| While meeting trade union representatives at Govan shipyard, she said: “A series of claims were made by the Tories and Labour during the referendum about employment at these yards and we will do everything in our power to hold the Tories to their promises.” | While meeting trade union representatives at Govan shipyard, she said: “A series of claims were made by the Tories and Labour during the referendum about employment at these yards and we will do everything in our power to hold the Tories to their promises.” |