BAE yards threatened once Royal Navy carriers are delivered in 2018, warn unions
Britain should bring forward orders for a new generation of navy frigates to help BAE Systems bridge a production hiatus that’s threatening its warship-making capabilities and 6.000 engineering jobs, the Unite union revealed.
Europe’s No. 1 weapons-maker said this month it had begun a study into future options for yards in Scotland and Portsmouth, once production slows with the completion of two Royal Navy aircraft carriers in 2018. The first Type 26 frigate isn’t due to be delivered until the early 2020s, leaving the sites dependent on support work and minor programs for foreign fleets.
“The government can’t expect a private company to keep thousands of people sweeping the floor or painting its workshops waiting for the work to come in,” Ian Waddell, Unite national officer for aerospace and shipbuilding, said in an interview. “It should bring the contract forward to span the gap.”
The situation has gained a political twist as the Scottish parliament moves to hold an independence referendum in 2014, Waddell said. Portsmouth would more likely be retained by the UK government in the event of a vote that would effectively place the two Glasgow yards in a foreign country, he said.
BAE Systems was already evaluating operations in response to falling defence budgets, and said last Sept. 27 it would cut 3.000 U.K. posts to trim costs and slow production of Euro fighter warplanes, having eliminated 15.000 positions globally in 2009 and 2010.
The appraisal will be in line with commitments given in a 2009 agreement with the UK government. That accord guarantees “minimum future work levels” over a 15-year-period while committing BAE to delivering “substantial” efficiency improvements, the Ministry of Defence said in an e-mail.
Construction of hull sections for the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carriers is being undertaken at BAE Scotstoun and Govan yards on the River Clyde in Glasgow and in Portsmouth, with the ships due to be assembled at Babcock International Group Plc dockyard in Rosyth, near Edinburgh.
An assessment of the Type 26 that began in 2010 won’t end before 2014, after which the government must sign off on the project before BAE can commence manufacturing. The first example will be delivered after 2020, though it’s “difficult to give an exact date” BAE said.
Ships will be built at a rate of about one a year, with a requirement for anti-submarine and general-purpose versions to replace 13 Type-23 frigates dating to 1989.
The frigate program could be accelerated by fixing the design as soon as possible and then eliminating the usual gaps between phases, cutting as much as two years from development and minimizing the lull between projects, Waddell said.
Export orders for the Type 26 could boost the production run, and the vessel is being pitched to foreign governments as the so-called Global Combat Ship. Britain has formally invited Brazil to become a partner in the program, and is looking at opportunities in Turkey and Malaysia, BAE said.
Still, some job cuts seem inevitable, because even bringing forward the Type 26 won’t compensate for the end of work on the carriers, Waddell said. The carriers are Britain’s biggest-ever warships at 920 feet long and 65.000 metric tons displacement.
“I can’t see how you can maintain that level of employment,” he said. “You’re going from two huge carriers to one relatively small vessel.”
Suggested Stories
-
May 25th 2012
Paraguay proposes India long-term plan to exchange food for investments and technology
-
May 25th 2012
UK deeper in recession; IMF recommends more stimuli measures
-
May 24th 2012
China to take measures to boost demand fearing economy slowdown
-
May 24th 2012
Uninspired EU summit pledges support for Greece, but prepares for “Grexit”
15 comments Feed
Note: Comments do not reflect MercoPress’ opinions. They are the personal view of our users. We wish to keep this as open and unregulated as possible. However, rude or foul language, discriminative comments (based on ethnicity, religion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation or the sort), spamming or any other offensive or inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated. Please report any inadequate posts to the editor. Comments must be in English. Thank you.
As England will have no interest in preserving employment in Scotland after independence, the Glasgow shipyards will have to pitch competitively for build projects against English yards.
There will certainly be no place for two Clyde shipyards, so there will inevitably be major job losses once Scotland becomes independent.
Still, England could treat the Scots a bit more like the Gurkas - the source of warriors; just like the English did with Irishmen in days of Empire.
No:1Europe Weapon said this month it had begun a study into future
options for yards in SCotland and Portsmouth..........
I say :
When Scotland declares independence ,it is also likely that the UK will be forced to find a new place for its four Trident submarines which are based at Faslane ,around from 25 miles from Glasgow....!............
I don't think you've thought that through at all. The RN won't have another nation build it's ships. They'll just move the work down south.
I'd bet quite a few of the current ship workers would just move south if the work all moved with it.
Its years away, anything can happen next week, let alone another 3 years away .
.
Defence contracts will NOT be placed in Scotland.
Scottish “workers” will not be allowed into the UK to work on defence contracts. Digging sewers by hand is a possibility.
Scottish “workers” may not even be allowed into the UK. Scotland will be viewed as actually or potentially “hostile”.
Defence remains a 'United' Kingdom activity, because the external threats are greater than the internal ones, and defending whole islands is somewhat easier than defending internal land borders (even the Roman Hadrian appreciated this, but with long supply lines he opted for the wall; Offa thought a Dyke would suffice). Today, neglecting the Northern approaches would be like the US leaving open its Canadian border to circum-polar incursion.
No, the ties that bind are much stronger than the forces of separation. Unfortunately, in a democracy, nations are at the mercy of the vagaries of the voters - and voters seldom vote with 20-20 vision. The leader of the ScotNats knows this and this is why he is providing a 'third way' get-out-of-jail option for his referendum.
It is a simple matter. The RN does not have foreign nations build it's warships, It is that simple. The government has already made it perfectly clear that if Scotland does opt for independence, Scotland will not have defence contracts from the RN.
“England and the UK have little to gain from seeing Scotland ”
It's not about that. At all. We could easily buy from the Americans and get great deals on ships, probably better than what we do now. We don't however because we prefer to support our own nations defence industry.
Scotland no longer being a part of the nation, We would have no desire to support there defence industry. The work would move south to give people still within the UK jobs.
It is an absolute 100% guarantee that if Scotland opts for independence that the RN will move it's work south.
Defence is not a matter for the individual nations of the UK. It is a unified package within other unified packages - Europe/NATO. Procurement is to ensure cross-compatability, and manufacture is not presently restricted to England; it will be even less so in the future. Presently the UK is in partnership with France for carrier build/operation - who would have thought that! We have big armaments purchase programmes from the US, and they have reciprocated in the past, though most Americans think that the Harrier was one of theirs.
I'll repeat it. The RN does not have foreign nation's build it's warships. This is a fact that will not change.
It has already been stated that if Scotland gains independence(By the defence minister) they will not have ship building contracts from the RN.
It's not hard to understand.
All of our large Procurement is 90% British based or has some British involvement. The JSF has a large British involvement with BAE, The EF completely designed by BAE.
We have a deal to jointly operate carriers with France and they might use our designs, Still a British design.
You might not think so but like i have stated, it has already been confirmed by the government that if Scotland gains independence the RN warship contracts WILL move south.
Don't know where you got this idea from.
If all the parts of the UK broke apart you would have several different navys. Scottish royal navy, Welsh royal navy. Just like the royal austrialian navy and canadian navy.
The RN however would still be run from England.
The Royal Scots Navy was Scotlands naval force. It was absorbed into the RN at the act of union.
It has come in for immense criticism and hilarity.
Whilst it is by no means an easy circle to square, the first stab at it by the Scot Nats has been inauspicious, to say the least.
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!