Unite claims Westminster has not done enough to help Bombardier in Boeing dispute
Bombardier Inc
$2.52
11:00 27/10/20
Trade union Unite warned the UK government on Wednesday that it was "raising the white flag" without much of a fight to save Bombardier jobs put at risk by the Canadian firm's ongoing spat with Boeing, demanding an urgent meeting between itself and the new secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley.
Unite's warning came after Richard Harrington, a minister at the Department for Busines, Energy and Industrial Strategy, told MPs on the Northern Ireland Affairs committee that Downing Street expected Bombardier would lose its US trade case against Boeing over steep import tariffs imposed against its C-Series jets.
"Comments by UK ministers that they expect Bombardier to lose the US trade case with Boeing are a disgrace and amount to them raising the white flag on UK jobs without a fight," said Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner.
He added, "A phone call to Donald Trump is all well and good, but where is the follow through on Theresa May's tough words about Boeing and the tough action needed to secure Northern Ireland jobs?"
Unite regional officer with responsibility for the workforce at Bombardier, Susan Fitzgerald, stressed the scale of the threat posed by the US International Trade Commission's upcoming decision.
"The next few weeks are vitally important for the workforce at Bombardier. Should the US ITC decide to confirm the imposition of the punitive tariffs proposed by the Department of Commerce, it will take years to have them lifted through the arbitration of the World Trade Organisation. In the meantime, the damage will be done," said Fitzgerald.
The US ITC was due to make its final decision regarding the 300% import tariff to Bombardier's C Series planes by the end of January.
In addition to its plea to Bradley, Unite had also penned letters to the leaders of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sin Féin urgently seeking meetings over the fate of Bombardier's 4,000 strong Belfast workforce.
"This is the eleventh hour for the workforce - are either the local or UK government prepared to stand over the potential loss of 10%of Northern Ireland’s economy? What do they have to say to the 4,000 workers and the many thousands more in the supply chain who are likely to face a bleak future if these tariffs are confirmed? Are they actually going to allow this to happen on their watch? These are just some of the questions we will be demanding answers to from the political establishment both locally and in Westminster," Fitzgerald said.