'It's not too late to save England’s last wind turbine plants' says
Unite
21st July 2009
Unite the union is urging the government to work with management
at Vestas to save England’s only wind turbine manufacturing plants
at the Isle of Wight and Southampton which are to close on Friday
24 July, with the loss of 625 jobs and the transfer of production
to China and the US.
Unite is supporting Vestas workers in their fight for their
future. Not only will 625 workers lose their jobs; the effect on
the local community will be devastating. It is not easy for an
Island economy to recover from such a serious blow, with up to a
quarter of the manufacturing jobs on the island threatened.
If the government is serious about meeting its legally binding
target on renewable energy and climate change, and meeting last
week’s pledge for 400,000 green jobs, it needs to take action to
save England's only wind turbine manufacturing capacity.
The UK has the best ‘wind resources’ in Europe but currently
generates just five per cent of electricity from this source, less
than most other large economies. The government is legally bound to
increase this to 35 per cent by 2020, which will mean a huge market
for the type of products currently being made on the Isle of
Wight.
John Rowse, Unite national secretary for manufacturing, said:
"It is not too late to save these plants. If the government
addresses the blockages in the planning system to counter the
'Not-in-my-back-yard 'brigade then there will be massively
increased demand for wind turbines.
"We urge the government to match its green rhetoric with action
to support green jobs, saving Vestas would send out a clear message
that it is serious about saving the environment as well as
supporting UK manufacturing."
ENDS
For more information contact: Unite press officer Mark Di-Toro
on 07918 640 579
Notes:
Unite wants the government to:
Ensure there is sufficient investment in grid expansion
Consider following the Spanish example of only allowing planning
permission for sites, if those turbines are at least in part
manufactured in that region. (Using EU social and environmental
clauses that make this an entirely legitimate practice)
Introduce feed in tariffs for large scale wind, which have
driven rapid expansion of wind energy in most other large economies
and at lower cost to the energy consumer than our current
system
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