Over 650 Rolls-Royce jobs safeguarded

More than 650 Rolls-Royce jobs have been safeguarded from compulsory redundancies for at least five years after Unite secured agreements at the company’s plants in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire and Ansty, Coventry.

The signing of the memorandum of understandings (MoU) for the Inchinnan and Ansty sites, comes just weeks after Unite struck a ground-breaking deal with Rolls-Royce’s management to secure the future of the company’s Barnoldswick operations, saving an additional 350 jobs.

As well as safeguarding jobs, the MoUs for Inchinnan and Ansty state that Unite and Rolls-Royce will work together to bring new work to the sites, including that related to addressing climate change and developing green technologies.

Around 575 people are employed at Rolls-Royce’s Inchinnan site, which produces turbine blades and aerofoils, while more than 85 are employed at Ansty, where engine fan cases are made.

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said, “The agreements safeguarding more than 650 jobs in Inchinnan and Ansty are testament to the hard work of our members at both sites who, alongside our fantastic team of shop stewards and officers, were determined to secure a bright future for their workplaces and communities.

“Coming hot on the heels of the Barnoldswick deal, these agreements show exactly what can be achieved when employers and unions work together in a genuine and positive way,” he added.

“But, as we face the triple challenge of recovering from the pandemic, adjusting to the UK’s new position outside of the EU and tackling climate change, it is clear that government now needs to play its part. That means supporting, investing in and procuring from UK manufacturers enabling the transition to a greener economy.

“Companies like Rolls-Royce have the potential to drive a jobs recovery as they produce the green tech needed to meet our zero carbon targets, while cementing the UK’s position as the envy of the manufacturing world,” Turner continued.

“Our manufacturing sector is key to meeting the immense challenges ahead. We now need government to be working much closer with both unions and industry to ensure that those challenges are met.”

By Ryan Fletcher