BERMAN: "TORIES SLASH HUNDREDS OF JOBS IN GATESHEAD"
WESTMINSTER -
Sam Berman, Shadow Secretary of State for Industrial Strategy, today criticised the government over its plans to outsource the production of new British passports to a Franco-Polish design and manufacturing team, instead of renewing its existing contract with a British firm based in Gateshead.
"The government has claimed that the move 'will be made for the people of Britain by a factory in Britain'. This is simply not true."
Whilst the government speculates that the move will result in the creation of 70 jobs - at a yet undertermined site - it has already resulted in 170 redundancy notices being handed out at the British company, De La Rue, who currently hold the contract for British passport production. Despite these cuts to workforce, it is unlikely that they will be enough to counteract the loss of the contract, with De La Rue having been forced to divulge that a further 250 workers are at risk of termination as a result of the government's decision.
"The patriotism of the government quite clearly extends only to flag waving - and not to protecting British industry, livelihoods, and communities. When push comes to shove, they're quite happy to throw British businesses under the bus if it means saving a little cash. Evidently they'd rather decimate our industry than actually stump up what is needed to build an independent Britain."
"Not manufacturing 'British Blues' here at home is entirely self defeating of their intended purpose."
WESTMINSTER -
Sam Berman, Shadow Secretary of State for Industrial Strategy, today criticised the government over its plans to outsource the production of new British passports to a Franco-Polish design and manufacturing team, instead of renewing its existing contract with a British firm based in Gateshead.
"The government has claimed that the move 'will be made for the people of Britain by a factory in Britain'. This is simply not true."
Whilst the government speculates that the move will result in the creation of 70 jobs - at a yet undertermined site - it has already resulted in 170 redundancy notices being handed out at the British company, De La Rue, who currently hold the contract for British passport production. Despite these cuts to workforce, it is unlikely that they will be enough to counteract the loss of the contract, with De La Rue having been forced to divulge that a further 250 workers are at risk of termination as a result of the government's decision.
"The patriotism of the government quite clearly extends only to flag waving - and not to protecting British industry, livelihoods, and communities. When push comes to shove, they're quite happy to throw British businesses under the bus if it means saving a little cash. Evidently they'd rather decimate our industry than actually stump up what is needed to build an independent Britain."
"Not manufacturing 'British Blues' here at home is entirely self defeating of their intended purpose."