BAE workers join the big fightback

A delegation of workers from arms manufacturing sites in Brough, Samlesbury and Warton lobbied the Labour conference to urge MPs to demand that the government and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) act to defend jobs.

In the wake of government contract cancellations the Brough plant in East Yorkshire will lose 900 jobs and the Lancashire sites at Samlesbury and Warton will lose 565 and 843 jobs respectively.

Samlesbury worker Paul Hadley said he was in shock when he heard the news of the job losses.

He said: "There are a lot of worried people. It's worse because times are already hard."

Colleague Des Grahame added: "The government must start putting its money where its mouth is and start investing in manufacturing."

An emergency motion from the Labour Party national executive expressed solidarity with "the local communities that will be devastated by this decision and pledges its support to fight back against the cavalier destruction of jobs caused by this government."

The motion added: "Conference calls on the government to intervene now to do everything it can to protect these jobs and avoid this mass haemorrhaging of high-skilled jobs which are essential to the future of a sustainable defence manufacturing industry."

Unite union general secretary Len McCluskey told conference that the economy will never get out of the current crisis without a revived manufacturing sector.

"BAE Systems, Bombardier - these are companies that should be leading the hi-tech future but are being sacrificed by a government obsessed by austerity," he said.

"This conference must pledge its support and we are clear in our determination to do everything we can to defend our members' interests. We demand that the MoD intervene."

To a standing ovation from conference Mr McCluskey introduced three BAE shop stewards in the audience.

"We need to let them know we stand shoulder to shoulder with them," he added.

Labour leader Ed Miliband, who met BAE workers on Wednesday night, slammed ministers for not getting "stuck in" to find a way around the massive job cuts.

"I met the BAE workers and we have got to leave no stone unturned in looking to see how we can help them," he said.

BAE has claimed that the job losses are necessary to stay competitive.

The firm is due to start a 90-day consultation with unions and workers at some sites which will end at Christmas.

While Lancashire and East Yorkshire are particularly hard hit the company is axing jobs across the country.

The consultation at smaller sites - including Filton in Bristol, Farnborough in Hampshire and Yeovil in Somerset - is due to last 30 days, BAE said.

Most of the cuts are due to be made in the company's military aircraft division.

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