by René Lavanchy
The Unite union has agreed to join a new joint body where Government, unions and carmakers will be charged with encouraging investment in the auto industry and the development of green vehicles in Britain, Tribune has learned.
Dave Osborne, Unite’s national officer for the automotive sector, is to join the Automotive Council whose establishment was announced last week by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson. The body will be chaired by Richard Parry-Jones, a vice-president of Ford until 2007.
Unite hopes the council will be a “doing body” and a powerful advocate for the industry. The council will direct Government funding of research and development for new low carbon vehicles.
The union also hopes it will help save Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant and its 2,200 jobs in the face of declining car sales. Unite, whose officials held talks over Vauxhall jobs with GM executive Nick Reilly this week, is calling for General Motors to build its new Ampera electric car there after the contract to build the Astra expires in 2013.
The council has been formed in response to a report which blamed “Government ambivalence” among other factors for the weakness of the British car industry. This year has seen BMW sack 850 agency workers at Oxford, Jaguar Land Rover shed 450 staff and 1,200 job losses at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, although Nissan has recruited some 350 staff since then.
Lord Mandelson said last week: “The car industry needs to capitalise on the economic opportunities and job creation offered by the shift to low carbon.”
