Rolls-Royce Workers Vote To Set Up Industrial Action Fund

Workers at Rolls-Royce have voted to set up an industrial action fund to defend UK jobs at the company it has been announced.

The move by members of union Unite, saw 84% vote in favour of paying an extra £1 a month on their union subs to form the fund, on a turnout of 71%.

The war chest is expected to grow to £150,000 a year and comes amid warnings of industrial action over Rolls-Royce's continued failure to offer guarantees over compulsory redundancies.

The highly skilled workforce is angry that despite securing a record $9.2bn order from Emirates Airlines, Rolls-Royce is ploughing on with plans to cut 2,600 jobs from its aerospace division, which could see compulsory redundancies at a number of sites in the UK as early as next month.

Unite national officer Ian Waddell said: "Rolls-Royce should be in no doubt that our members will not tolerate compulsory redundancies in the UK, whether through workload reductions, management reviews, outsourcing or offshoring.

"The fund will be used to support members at specific sites involved in industrial action to oppose these sorts of job losses.

"Our members have shown great loyalty in building up Rolls-Royce, but are feeling increasingly betrayed by the company's continued refusal to give assurances on jobs and guarantees over redundancies.

"Given the company's order book and profit levels, they see the planned job losses and decisions to move work elsewhere as nothing less than the export of UK manufacturing jobs."

(CD/JP)