Unite for
jobs
Unite for Jobs represents a landmark campaign bringing
the union together with senior business, academic and
political figures to make a historic case for action to protect
jobs.
This historic and formidable alliance has been formed because,
quite simply, the government is not doing enough to protect our
members’ jobs and skills base. Time is running out and without
a concerted effort from national government to protect jobs, our
international standing as a country where employers can find
talented workers will be shattered for years to come. In fact,
it would not be an exaggeration to say that “without government
intervention now, some industries may never recover, particular our
manufacturing and components industry”.
That is why we organised the Unite for Jobs march
through our manufacturing heartland, Birmingham, on 16 May 2009.
The march has formed the centrepiece event of the Unite for
Jobs campaign. Thousands turned out
and every region played a full part in making this
major initiative a success.
Our members are already paying the price for this economic
downturn since this recession took hold. Whether it is in the
automotive sector or the finance sector. Some £900 billion has been
handed to the banks to bail them out yet we have seen little in the
way of tangible action to keep the lights on in the homes and
factories of our members.
We've thrown the spotlight on the need for urgent, clear
assistance to defend jobs. We are pressing for a clear
programme of action to help protect the approximately one million
skilled jobs in this country that depend on manufacturing,
including:
- A short-time working subsidy to keep skilled workers in post
and off the dole;
- Action by our government to defend manufacturing on the scale
of our EU competitors;
- Rapid action to ensure easier access to credit from the now
state-owned banks;
- Measures to restore confidence to consumers and encourage
consumer demand, such as a scrappage scheme for older
vehicles:
- And an immediate overhaul of our redundancy law to end the
shame of our workers being among the cheapest and easiest to sack
in the western economies.
The campaign though, is about all workers, about our
members in every sector, in every region, and not exclusively those
in manufacturing.
We now ask that you give your support and,
ultimately, play your part in winning action to protect this
country’s skills base and the jobs of generations to come.
Additional
resources
Statement from Paul
Everitt, chief executive,Society of Motor Manufacturers and
Traders
Short
time working - Stemming the
redundancy tide
Unite for jobs in your sector
Unite for Jobs for aerospace and shipbuilding
workers
Unite for Jobs chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
process and textiles workers
Unite for Jobs civil aviation workers
Unite for Jobs for education workers
Unite for Jobs for finance workers
Unite for Jobs for food, drink and tobacco
workers
Unite for Jobs for general industries
workers
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Jobs for graphical, paper & media
workers
Unite for Jobs for IT and communication
workers
Unite for Jobs for metal workers
Unite for Jobs for public service
workers
Unite for Jobs for servicing
workers
Unite for Jobs for vehicle manufacturing
workers
Workers from all industrial sections came together on 16
March 2009 in Birmingham as part of the campaign.
Called to ensure that action to protect jobs and
skills is first among the government’s recession-beating
priorities, the March for Jobs saw around 7,000 people come to
Birmingham to march through the UK’s manufacturing heartland.
You can watch the BBC's report on why workers took part
in the march below.
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