Unite has announced that it is calling for all interested parties to work together to secure the future of the GKN Birmingham factory, following the announcement today that GKN Automotive has rejected the alternative business plan to keep the factory open.

Responding to figures published today which reveal that UK car production fell by a third in 2020, Unite Assistant General Secretary for Manufacturing Steve Turner has commented:: "These figures must act as a wake-up call to government.”

Commentating on a new report by the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT) published (Friday 4th September) which shows that the public remain sceptical about the purchase of electric cars, Unite, which represents tens of thousands of automotive workers, has called on the government to ensure UK car manufacturers are given sufficient support to meet future UK electric vehicle challenges.

Unite, the UK’s leading union, is urging the Government to commit to invest in the UK space programme in the interests of national security and to ensure that thousands of highly skilled jobs are not put at further risk.

Unite, which represents workers throughout the aerospace and aviation sector, is calling on the UK government to follow the lead of France and provide specific support to these sectors, both of which have been dramatically hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Britain’s rail manufacturing could be shunted into the sidings Unite warned, as it urged the government to support UK manufacturing by investing in rail infrastructure and awarding rolling stock contracts to UK factories. The call, in a letter from Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner to the transport secretary Chris Grayling comes on the same day as Unite signs a recognition agreement covering over 750 workers at Hitachi’s ...

A warning has been issued by Unite, the union that represents thousands of car workers, that the government’s ‘Road to Zero’ strategy which proposes that all new cars will be electric by 2040, lacks clarity and could damage the UK’s motor industry.