A Yes vote would cost us 10,000 jobs
Stark warning from unions on future of shipyards
SCOTLAND’S remaining shipyards would close after a Yes vote, costing 10,000 jobs, it was claimed yesterday. Union l eaders l aunched a campaign warning of the consequences of independence.
Thousands of jobs are dependent on Ministry of Defence orders and any future work is highly unlikely to be awarded after separation.
Defence giant BAE Systems has announced plans for a £200million upgrade to safeguard shipbuilding on the Clyde at its yard in Scotstoun, Glasgow. It is proposed that it would build a fleet of Royal Navy Type 26 frigates there. But BAE Systems and the UK Government will not announce a final decision until shortly after the independence referendum.
Duncan McPhee, Unite convener at BAE Scotstoun, said it was ‘inconceivable’ the MoD would build complex warships outside the UK, adding: ‘We have a great future ahead of us but not if there was a vote for independence. Unless the Scottish Government could replace that work, our industry would be decimated.
‘We have 3,000 jobs on the Clyde that would be under immediate threat if there were a Yes vote; so would all the jobs in the supply chain across Scotland. It could be as many 10,000, maybe more.’
Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael yesterday met union officials at the Rosyth dockyard in Fife, which also faces potential job losses following a Yes vote.
After the meeting, Mr Carmichael said: ‘The key message I got today from the workforce and shop stewards is that they are very concerned.
‘They have legitimate concerns and it is time for the Scottish Government to come forward and provide answers, not assertions.
‘If Scotland is no longer part of the UK, it would not be eligible for contracts placed domestically for complex warships.
‘The companies know this, the workers know this – only the Scot- tish Government is in denial. They need to meet the workers, hear their views and answer their legitimate concerns.’
Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont also met union leaders on the Clyde yesterday. She said: ‘These jobs are at risk if we vote Yes. People need to understand that. But for the SNP, clearly that’s a price worth paying.
‘Scotland has a proud history of shipbuilding and despite the serious challenges the industry has faced over a long period, the skills and expertise of the workforce mean Scottish shipbuilding has a bright future if i t secures the defence contracts planned by the UK Government.
‘I know from speaking to the workforce that they believe the only threat to Scotland securing these contracts is a Yes vote – and the expectation is that this work will be moved to England if we vote to leave the UK.’
SNP Westminster l eader and defence spokesman Angus Robertson said: ‘It is beyond belief that anti- i ndependence politicians claim that shipbuilding on the Clyde and at Rosyth is safe in Westminster’s hands.
‘The Clyde has been, is now, and will in the future be the best place to build the new generation of naval ships – and that is coming direct from senior directors at BAE.’