Unions representing the Bombardier workforce in Derby confirmed today that they will be mobilising a ‘mass demonstration’ on Saturday 23rd July in the city in protest at plans to axe over 1,400 jobs as a result of the Governments’ refusal to award the company the Thameslink carriage contract.
Details of the timings and the route of the Derby protest are still being agreed with the police and the council.
Meanwhile, rail union RMT ‘demanded a halt to the tendering process after it emerged that Bombardier have been put on alert’ as ‘reserve bidders’ in the event of something going wrong with the Siemens bid, ‘fuelling union suspicions that the final contract has not yet been signed off and opening up the possibility for the Government to reverse their decision’.
The RMT is also ‘demanding’ publication of the tendering evaluation as part of the statutory consultation on redundancies required by another Government department.
The unions says they are specifically seeking justification for the Government claim that the Siemens bid represents ‘value for money’ for the British taxpayer in light of the destruction of ‘13,000 jobs in and around Derby as a direct result of the plans’.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:
“On the 23rd July we intend to bring the whole of Derby out onto the streets in protest at plans that would destroy core manufacturing industry and 13,000 jobs in and around the city. This act of political vandalism would impact on every single person in the area.
“We also want this process stopped and stopped now to allow us to look in detail at this wholly spurious claim that the Siemens bid represents value for money. As part of the redundancy consultation it has to be justified that this is a genuine and unavoidable redundancy situation – we do not believe that it is as the workforce are actually the victims of a political stitch up.
“If the Government and their puppet-masters in the EU think that the fight for the future of Bombardier is over then we’ve got news for them – it has only just begun.”
Why are we protesting in Derby? We should take the protest to London. Politicians have already shown their ignorance of Derby’s situation. They won’t hear us if we stay here.
Whats wrong with this country we have just about given up on everything. Although Bombardier is Canadian owned they do provide jobs here and most of those are very skilled. When they are gone there is no return and those kids looking for jobs in the future will not thank us. Come on England get off your backsides and buy British.
I notice the Government is pledging more De-Regulation for businesses, ( remember when they De-Regulated the Trains, Buses, the Banking system?) but are planning more regulations to curb Workers Rights.
This isn’t just going to affect the workers at Bombardier, there will be thousands of subsidiary jobs affected too, the people who sell food outside the gates, companies who supply tools, components, materials and services, pubs, clubs, local shops…..
We’ve seen it before. Many times, sadly.
Although I have no connections with Derby, or the Rail Industry, I would like to pledge my support for any and all actions that might help to overturn this ludicrous decision.
We must stop the clock being turned back to the 19th century for workers in the United Kingdom.
Very amusing how the RMT are up in arms because a German based company has been awarded a contract over a French-Canadian based company. Is it because Bombardier have more RMT members than Siemens? I think that Siemens employ more people in the UK than Bombardier, so overall bring more revenue in. This means the Government have more money available to spend in the courts fighting pointless battles with a mickey-mouse union trying to bully people into decisions that favour them. It might be worth them having a look at why they lost the contract instead of throwing their toys out of the pram because they didn’t get thier own way…..
To protest in the city where the jobs are going to be cut makes sense. A similar massive protest in 1973 against the then Tory government plans to let Rolls Royce go to the wall, changed the Governments mind and the funding was found to save the company. Derby is the heart of railway engineering in the UK. Join the Derby march tomorrow and help save another threatened UK major industrial manufacturer.