Bob Crow fight for Bombardier jobs

Who you going to call, Ed Miliband.........don't think he would have much muscle in a fight for jobs.


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 1400 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 and further details will be available shortly.

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.

RMT is also demanding publication of the tendering evaluation as part of the statutory consultation on redundancies required by another Government department. RMT is 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.”

Ends