Babcock To Axe 150 Jobs At Rosyth Shipyard

7 February 2019, 12:13

Around 150 jobs are to be cut from one of the UK's leading shipyards, in a "kick in the teeth" to the local workforce, says Unite.

The union said Babcock will make the redundancies at its Rosyth yard on the Firth of Forth in Fife.

Assistant general secretary Steve Turner said: "The men and women whose skills built the UK's two new world-leading aircraft carriers at Rosyth are at risk of being lost for a generation in a blow to the Scottish economy and UK shipbuilding.

"Today's announcement of job losses will send shudders down the spine of shipyard workers across the UK who in recent months have endured the threat of redundancy on the Mersey and the closure of Devon's Appledore shipyard.

"The fear is that these job losses at Rosyth could turn into a flood and the industry left with a yawning skills gap unless the UK Government starts supporting UK Plc by delivering on a shipbuilding strategy that guarantees the Royal Navy's new auxiliary ships are block built in UK shipyards using British steel, in addition to bringing forward work on the Type 31e frigate for export around the globe.

"It would be a gross betrayal of a skilled workforce and British manufacturing if the government continued with its obsession to award such work to overseas shipyards and deny manufacturing and communities in the UK the economic benefits that building the Royal fleet auxiliary ships would bring."