5,000 jobs at risk in Scots aerospace industry amid fear of ‘terminal decline’
Almost 5,000 Scottish jobs may be at risk because of proposed redundancies in the aerospace engineering and civil aviation industries, a new study has warned.
The findings by Strathclyde University’s Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) found that the planned job losses in the two sectors could also inflict a £325 million blow on the Scottish economy.
In the FAI report, which was commissioned by the Unite Scotland trade union, 1,500 direct job losses are estimated in civil aviation, from companies including Menzies Aviation and Swissport – with a knock-on effect for another 830 jobs.
Following aerospace engineering redundancy consultations and voluntary severance schemes for 1,225 roles at Rolls-royce, GE Caledonian, Spirit Aerosystems and Wyman Gordon, the report also forecasts the ultimate loss of 2,530 jobs across Scotland.
Graeme Roy, director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, said: “The job losses announced already in key parts of our economy – including aviation and engineering have the potential to be a damaging blow to Scotland’s longterm economic prospects.”
Unite Scotland is now warning the Scottish and UK governments that both sectors “could be on the brink of terminal decline” and is calling for additional support packages for the industries.
Unite’s Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said: “Over the course of several months there is an estimated loss to the Scottish economy of £320 million and nearly 5,000 direct and indirect jobs are on the brink of being lost forever.
“This is the gravity of the situation facing both sectors and – make no mistake about this – both are on the cusp of terminal decline without immediate intervention from both the UK and Scottish governments.”