United protest to save Rolls-Royce jobs on Merseyside

Dec 11 2007 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

HUNDREDS of Rolls Royce employees across the country joined forces yesterday to protest against plans which will leave over 200 Merseyside staff out of work.

Workers stood outside plants including East Kilbride, Bristol and Sunderland with placards and banners to show their solidarity throughout the afternoon, protesting against the proposed closure of the company’s Bootle site.

And 150 staff at the Merseyside plant walked out during their lunch hour to express their dismay but also hope the site could be saved.

Over 200 highly-skilled engineering workers at the factory, which makes turbines for the oil and gas industries, will lose their jobs next year if company plans to shift pro-duction to its Mount Vernon plant in the US go ahead.

The campaign “Keep Rolls Royce Pride on Merseyside”, led by the UKs largest trade union, Unite, aims to stop the closure and representatives were pleased with yesterday’s turnout.

Unite regional officer Debbie Brannan said: “There was a really decent response. Feelings are mixed, most are pleased with the campaign but worry Rolls Royce may have already made there minds up and the consultation is a sham.

“It is not just the current jobs at stake, in Liverpool there are a lot of apprentices – the loss of this plant will cut off job opportunities for our children.

“The company is exporting jobs and it is not fair, if Rolls Royce was in financial difficulties there would be some defence but the plant and product are both very cost effective.

“We will be meeting with John Hutton and asking him to intervene later in the week.”

Sefton Council and the North West Development Agency are hopeful the com-pany will reconsider its plan.

A package, said by the NWDA to be a seven-figure sum, will be offered to help the company find a way of staying here.

But Rolls-Royce has said high production costs in the UK meant the Bootle factory was no longer viable.

Ms Brannan revealed last month that Rolls Royce pays £1.7m a year rental for the site.

The upkeep and rent of the decaying building are thought to be fac-tors which have led Rolls Royce to want to take production to Ohio, where, according to Unite, it pays a peppercorn rent of $1 (50p) a year.

Over 10,000 people in Merseyside have signed to support Unite’s campaign.

lizawiliams