Amicus Urges Transport Minister to Act to Save UK Rail Manufacturing

LONDON, January 7 --

Trade union Amicus will today meet Kim Howell, Transport Minister to warn that the country that invented the railways may end up making no trains of its own.

The Union will ask government to find interim contracts for the Bombardier Derby plant which is at risk of closure. Derby is Bombardier's most productive and cost efficient plant in Europe. The union is also asking the government that a viable solution is found to ensure train manufacturing is preserved in the UK.

Bombardier are conducting a European wide restructuring exercise which could lead to the company abandoning train building in the UK. Together with Alstom's intention to close their site at Washwood Heath meaning that indigenous train manufacturing within the UK could end.

The union wants the UK's Transport procurement policy changed to ensure that Train Operating Companies contracts require a proportion of rolling stock to be built in the UK so indigenous train building companies can benefit from the award of valuable UK contracts.

Bombardier say that a 'gap' in orders at their Derby plant from 2005-08, as a result of a lucrative contract for a new Trans-Pennine train been lost to Siemans in Germany and threatens the plants future and that of another Bombardier plant in Crewe.

Paul Reuter, Amicus' National Transport Officer, said:

"There is a very real danger that indigenous train manufacturing will die unless there is a change to the government's transport procurement policy to ensure that the UK rail industry supports UK manufacturing which is the most productive in Europe."

Amicus is also demanding stronger UK employment protection laws to ensure a level playing field with those in mainland Europe. They say lesser employment protection makes it quicker and cheaper to cut jobs in the UK rather than in competitor countries.

The other train building plant still operating in the UK, the Alstom plant at Washwood Heath, Birmingham, is also due to close next year with a loss of 1,400 jobs after a contract for new London Underground trains awarded last year went to Spain.

Ciaran Naidoo +44 (0)7768 931 315