Member Article

Rolls-Royce rumours squashed by union

A North East union representative has poured cold water on claims that hundreds of workers at a Wearside engineering plant are about to face the axe.

Rumours were rife that Rolls-Royce is holding a meeting of staff from its Pallion Plant at the Stadium of Light today to discuss cutting its workforce from 400 to 250.

It is also feared that current staff will see their wages slashed by £15,000.

Despite this, Unite Regional Secretary, Davey Hall has said the rumours are false: “As a part of the new investment for the Sunderland area, staff have been discussing new company working practices.

“In the proposals being put to our members there are none that suggest cuts to wages.”

The company unveiled plans to invest in four new factories and research programmes in the summer, which they said would employ over 800 people.

The new plans will include one making fan and turbine discs for commercial and military jets and Rolls-Royce have also confirmed they are to invest £90m into low-carbon aircraft engine technologies.

But the latest rumours will not sit well with the company’s 400 employees in Sunderland.

Davey Hall added: “I have no idea about the number of the jobs in the new factory, with the levels of investment in machinery some changes in numbers must happen.

“All of this must be put into context. If we hadn’t got the government to force Rolls-Royce to put investment in the UK the factory would have closed and the work transferred to the USA.”

Rolls-Royce have declined to comment ahead of today’s meeting.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .