Angry BAE staff in strike ballot bid
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Union leaders at defence giant BAE Systems have warned bosses they are ready to go out on strike over plans to axe jobs.
More than 3,000 members of the professional staff at the companies bases at Warton and Samlesbury, near Preston, yesterday voted that they would be willing to go to a ballot for strike action.
It follows moves by the company to look at making compulsory redundancies as part of 1,300 job cuts announced last October.
John Cameron, professional staff convenor for the Unite union, said members attending a mass meeting in Blackpool yesterday voted “over-whelmingly” that they would be willing to take industrial action.
He said: “The message from our members to the company is we will take action if we need to, our members are not happy and something needs to change.
“We feel the potential job losses within the professional staff can be fully mitigated and we believe the company is looking at compulsory redundancies too soon.”
Mark Jewell, a project manager from Ashton, Preston, said he had received a letter last week informing him that up to 80 employees within his division are under threat.
He said that workers at yesterday’s meeting had proposed cutting working hours in a bid to prevent jobs being axed due to a slowdown in work on its Eurofighter Typhoon jet production line.
A BAE spokesman said it remained “fully committed” to looking at ways to mitigate compulsory cuts.
He said: “Meetings taking place to look at innovative ways to mitigate job losses and any practical steps we can take, we are committed to looking at.”
Phil Entwistle, union convenor for the two sites’ manual workers, said it continuing its talks with management about mitigating job losses.
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Comments
There are 13 comments to this article
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Keep Labour Out
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 11:04 PMWhat a load of far-left nonsense from feciko as usual. That is probably the most boring comment ever posted on here. Nothing wrong with capitalism, competition and business are good for the economy socialism is NOT as proven by this shambolic Labour Government we just shot of. They created this mess by leaving the economy in tatters. The NHS is only under attack when Labour is in. The NHS is slowly being saved now with the reforms; scrapping stupid pointless targets, getting rid of jobsworth managers and giving power back to the professionals. Labour wrecked the NHS. The only selfishness and uncaring attitudes come from the left-wingers, nothing wrong with being right-wing. Right-wingers believe in hard work, freedom and aspiration. It means getting off your lazy backside and WORKING. You should try it feciko, but then Labour will always look after shirkers over workers.
feciko
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 03:31 PMTories, Bankers, Thatcherism, Capitalism, Cuts, Unemployment, Poverty, NHS attacks, can you spot the trend here. #7 ....its only those which are affiliated to right wing politics will allow this to happen ,,,selfishness and uncaring attitudes are not big and not clever either ...
Gardenbuddy
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 08:56 AMNo 10, Interestingly, you say, if we don't make them, some other company or country will, so are you being priced out of the market ? If so, take a cut in wages, work a few hours extra for flat rate, cut back some holidays, dustbin some of the Health & Safety rubbish, trim yourselves down to fighting weight, reduce the prices of the £75 million pound aircraft. Anything to keep production and jobs is better than striking, just opinion of an outsider looking in.
BikerBoy
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 06:46 PM#9. You must be another of the naive people who comment on here about not making military products so it will be all OK then. Well, I have news for you, if we don't make them and sell them, some other company or country will. And if you think a company can just start making other products, to diversify, you know nothing about industry. Can you suggest an alternative product we can make tomorrow which sells for 75 million each and keep tens of thousands of families in a good standard of living?
PrestonBornNBred
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 11:37 PMWhaaaat?? Surely it should be a joyous occasion? That "weapons of even a single person destruction" are not needed here at home in the UK or abroad.... The big picture.....?.......yes? So re-train.... Embrace the change What are you going on about Biker Boy? You a soldier boy now? start a business go volunteer Begin....to accept Get over it.... And move on....
Joerhubarb
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:54 PMBeen through it all before, striking is a loser. No doubt some more jobs will be saved, but jobs will go.
Stop*being* rude*
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 03:06 PMI fail to see what industrial action will achieve. It's a no win situation all round as far as I can see.
Silvio Berlusconi
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 02:03 PMLabour, Unions, Nationalisation, Socialism, Deficit. Spot a trend. Agree with post 4. We've had it too good for too long and whilst everyone has been happy to live on a false economy fed by consumerism, it is only those affiliated to right wing politics that are able to grasp-recognise the current predicament 99.99% of the population are currently in. Ever since the glory days of the GB empire have we over the decades slowly become more lazy & fickle.
BikerBoy
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 02:00 PMDespite all the sabre-rattling, I don't believe there will be a strike because when it comes down to it, the union won't have the guts to go through with it as all the shop stewards will think they will be first for the chop and most people realise the work isn't there so what are they supposed to work on? The company hasn't had a strike in 22 years so it will be interesting to see how both sides handle it. The fault for all this lies with the higher powers who havn't brought more sales and work in, but I do predict a turn around in fortunes in 2 or 3 years time and then management will re-recruit on a sub-contract basis which is what they have wanted for years. I supported strikes whilst I was there in the past but I feel one now would be self defeating.
jonh
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 12:51 PMAs far as I know, BAE has done a huge amount to successfully mitigate compulsary redundancies especially in recent years. But the unions can never accept even one no matter how unavoidable. This is a fact of the real world that non-Union people understand and can accept, they just either get on with it or find themeslves a job. Union people, like all socialists, demand a job is handed to them on a plate, they do not believe in being proactive or looking after themselves. For a socialist, everything that happens to them is someone else's responsibility.
TangoCharlie
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 12:33 PMYes number 2 unions have moved on, into a second tier management role. Working along side management in a so called proactive role, they don't know what to do now that the managers have to kick someone out. The whole country has stood by while Tory led anti union laws where established and then the labour party gave them their blessing. Whatever happened to the working mens party and the union that represents its members wishes?
Milsey
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 11:20 AM"The jobs are going, that's a fact". No it's not. "striking will do no good whatsoever" There are many forms of industrial action apart from striking, a well thought out plan of industrial action (as a last resort) could well help save jobs. In advance of the union bashing comments bound to appear on here, you are just showing your prejudice and ignorance. Unions have moved on I suggest you do the same.
Nivek
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 10:59 AMThe jobs are going, thats a fact, just like Preston City Council, striking will do no good whatsoever. get over it
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