PLANS by the UK's largest bus and coach builder to axe 160 jobs in Scotland have been condemned.
Unite Scotland says the final job losses proposed by Alexander Dennis (ADL) is likely to exceed 200 at its Falkirk and Larbert bases after the company fully reveals its restructuring plans.
In July the company announced 650 jobs were potentially at risk across their UK facilities.
Unite said the announcement affecting Falkirk and Larbert comes in the aftermath of Unite revealing this week that ADL's parent company, New Flyer Industries (NFI), plans to outsource work to Turkey.
Unite also discovered that the job cuts were planned before the Covid-19 pandemic in the parent company’s ‘NFI Forward’ strategy document.
Unite is now calling for any government support for ADL to be conditional on keeping jobs in Scotland and the UK.
The union’s Scottish Secretary, Pat Rafferty, has demanded intervention by government to ensure orders were forthcoming for the world-class bus manufacturing workforce, which has its headquarters in Scotland.
He said: "The news announced by Alexander Dennis which confirms that it plans to axe more than 160 highly-skilled workers at its Falkirk and Larbert sites is devastating. Unite will not allow these savage cuts to go unopposed and we will fight this every step of the way. We have repeatedly warned the Scottish and UK Governments of the parent company New Flyer Industries’ intention to drastically curtail the manufacturing capacity of the sites across the UK and to outsource major contracts to Turkey.
“There are a number of measures which the Scottish and UK Government can and must enact with immediate effect. This includes the UK Government bringing forward its order of 4,000 new low emission buses and the Scottish Government implementing the Just Transition Commission’s recent recommendation that £500m be invested in the nation’s transport infrastructure including the manufacture of green buses.
“However, Unite is clear that any public money including new orders must be conditional on the company retaining jobs and keeping work in Scotland, and across the UK. The blame for this situation ultimately lies with the parent company based in North America. If these premature and needless job cuts go ahead then it will have a substantial impact on the nation’s green manufacturing capacity and make a mockery of any just green recovery.”
Unite Scotland says the UK Government should immediately bring forward promised funding for 4,000 low-emission buses through a £3 billion fund.
It says the Scottish Government should enact the Just Transition Committee’s recommendation to rapidly roll-out spending of the £500 million committed to prioritise buses.
It wants the establishment of a Scottish-wide bus scrappage scheme to replace older diesel buses with low emission and zero-emission buses.
Unite also called for the immediate procuring of a fleet of green buses for use at COP26 in Glasgow next November.
The acceleration of orders to bus manufacturers and the supply chain through the new Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme, will provide £9 million this year to help bus operators invest in ultra-low emission vehicles, the union said.
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