Ericsson: Keep R&D in Coventry
Unite launches campaign to back R&D jobs in
Ansty, Coventry
Unite is campaigning to save communications giant Ericsson’s
research and development site in Ansty, Coventry following the
company’s announcement in November that it plans to close the plant
in mid-2010 with the loss of 700 highly skilled jobs.
Unite is calling on the government to support the UK’s role in
innovation and research and development of hi-tech communications
which it has hailed as one of the key areas of future growth for
the UK economy.
Unite argues Ericsson’s decision to close the site and transfer
the work to China and elsewhere is a huge blow to the UK economy
and the union is particularly concerned that the closure of the
site will reduce the UK’s capacity in this key hi-tech
industry.
Unite is lobbying the government to see how it can intervene in
areas such as procurement contracts for government communications
work, in particular contracts in secure communications and
defence/security projects.
Unite also wants the government to investigate provisions for
R&D tax credits and is demanding a level playing field asking
why Ericsson UK apparently loses out to Ericsson plants in other
countries - for example in Canada - in internal bidding
contracts.
Unite believes Ericsson’s announcement risks damaging the
reputation and standing of the company in the UK, and is calling in
the company to work with the union to explore all available means
to find a longer term solution for the future of the company’s
operations at Ansty that best reflects the interests of Ericsson,
the UK workforce and Unite members.
Check back regularly for more details on Unite’s campaign to
back R&D jobs in Ansty, Coventry.
Letters to Government Representatives
Press releases
Email to a friend
Want to share this story? These sites allow you to tag and share links across the internet enabling you to share these links with friends and people with similar interests. You can also access your links from any computer you happen to be using.
