The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is the pride of UK manufacturing – it adds £15bn of value to the UK economy every year and is the largest manufacturing exporter with annual exports close to…Read more…
‘Stick to your promises’
Unite shop stewards vowed to defend jobs and the UK’s ability to design and build complex warships following a meeting today, (April 25) to discuss their response to BAE’s review into its naval ships…Read more…
Report from GPM&IT NISC April 2016
The committee, which covers the Graphical, Paper, Media & IT industries, met Monday and Tuesday. This is a summary of some key points. I’ve not included most of the industrial detail (and some other points) in my report because not everything is appropriate to post publicly. For jargon, see…Read more…
Procurement at the heart of strong manufacturing sector
#STUC16 UNISON’s Carol Ball threw the spotlight on procurement as Congress set out an ambitious plan to end the stagnation of manufacturing in Scotland through a long-term industrial strategy.
Joining the criticisms of the Scottish Government’s ‘A Manufacturing Future for Scotland’ plan, Carol told delegates that this really is a missed opportunity for a much needed comprehensive manufacturingRead more…
Rebalanced economy hopes dashed
The makers appear to be marching away from the UK, as the latest figures on manufacturing, productivity and trade reveal any nascent economic recovery to be nothing more than a mirage. …Read more…
Shrink back shock
UK manufacturing has rapidly deteriorated to the point that it is now among the worst performers in the developed world, a shocking new report revealed today (March 24). The UK manufacturing…Read more…
For males only?
A cross-party committee of MPs released a damning report today (March 22) into the government’s inadequate response to a yawning 20 per cent gender pay gap that’s showed no signs of abating over the…Read more…
EU referendum campaign begins: let’s put workers first
This morning an edited version of this piece was in the Sunday Mirror, with the alternative point of view put by Michael Gove MP. His remark that “membership of the EU prevents us being able to…Read more…
‘This cannot be the future of Northern Ireland’
Northern Ireland’s manufacturing workforce was dealt another blow as aerospace firm Bombardier announced today (February 17) that more than 1,000 jobs would be axed in its Northern Ireland operation,…Read more…
‘Dangerously lopsided’
George Osborne needs to turn his rhetoric into action or risk becoming the ‘soundbite’ chancellor, Unite has warned. The union has urged the chancellor to commit to an active industrial…Read more…
‘Damning indictment’
The government’s productivity plan has been slammed by a committee of MPs as “vague”, and not worth being called a plan at all. The business, innovations and skills (BIS) committee noted in a…Read more…
Business Growth Service scrapped
There was a genuine sense of shock in parts of the business and manufacturing community that the Business Growth Service (BGS), which includes the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) and the Growth…Read more…
Divorced from reality
Chancellor George Osborne’s rhetoric to re-balance the economy has become divorced from reality warned Unite, as the latest GDP figures showed an increasing reliance on the service sector while…Read more…
Uniting to save jobs
Unite today announced (Friday January 22) it is joining forces with European counterparts in a bid to save former Alstom workers from redundancy – in the wake of the recent General Electric (GE)…Read more…
‘Driving force’ going off the road?
UK manufacturing is heading in the wrong direction, our balance of payments still on the critical list, exports are down, deflation is on the horizon and City pessimists warn of a another financial…Read more…
Brave new digital world
Phrases such as ‘Industry 4.0′, ‘Big Data’ and ‘The Internet Of Things’ are becoming common currency as the predictions of a new digital world and a new world of work in…Read more…
Doors to shut on jobs?
Unite is ‘pulling out all the stops’ in efforts to save 353 jobs at East Midlands door manufacturer Leaderflush Shapland which has gone into administration. Unite regional officer Garry Guye…Read more…
‘Divorced from reality’
UK manufacturing output fell by 0.4 per cent in October from the previous month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found. These figures compared with a 0.9 per cent increase seen in…Read more…
Gathering storm
George Osborne boasts his economic miracle has left us basking in economic sunshine which will only get warmer. But in the real world, the economic storms are building. Last week George…Read more…
Coming home to roost
For five years under the Coalition government manufacturing faced a tough time with our automotive industry providing the growth in the economy due to strong exports, which was also supported by our…Read more…