Shoppers sign up for Rolls Royce fight

Nov 26 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

WORKERS from Rolls-Royce’s Bootle plant took their campaign to save the factory to the streets of Liverpool city centre on Saturday.

They asked shoppers to sign a petition against the firm’s plans to transfer production from the Dunningsbridge Road site to the United States.

Union members organised the "Keep Rolls-Royce Pride on Merseyside" campaign to prevent the loss of more than 200 jobs.

Rolls-Royce workers around the country will also stage a protest on December 3.

Debbie Brannan, Unite union regional officer, said: "Too many highly skilled jobs have already been lost on Merseyside and we will not stand by and let Rolls-Royce jobs be driven out of this city without a fight.

"We are asking the local people to support the workers at the threatened site in Bootle and the campaign to oppose the closure."

The Dunningsbridge Road plant assembles and tests industrial gas turbines used by the gas and oil industries and includes among its clients BP and Shell.

The firm has blamed the strength of the pound in its exchange rate with the US dollar and high running costs for the closure proposal.

No final decision to close will be made until a consultation process has been completed, which is expected in the new year.