UK Government accused of ‘betrayal’ over Clyde shipbuilding

Shipbuilders on the Clyde have accused the UK Government of “behaving dishonourably” after it emerged the building of planned Royal Navy frigates will be delayed until 2017.

Unions said hundreds of shipbuilding jobs on the Clyde are under threat, claiming BAE systems told workers last week work on the new frigates would not start until 2017. The company has not ruled out job losses.

The contracts on the frigates formed part of a UK Government promise ahead of the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. The original plan for 13 ‘Type 26’ vessels was later cut to eight.

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Pat Rafferty, Scottish secretary of the UK’s biggest union, Unite, said: “The UK government is behaving dishonourably in failing to live up to promises made in the run up to the Scottish independence referendum.

“Hundreds of jobs are now at risk because of this review which has resulted from broken promises and backsliding by defence ministers.

“Ministers would do well to remember the upper Clyde shipbuilders in the 1970s and the strong tradition of the Clyde’s workforce in standing up for their jobs and livelihoods.

“The UK government needs to keep its promises and BAE needs to hold its nerve.”

In a statement to the Commons, Defence Minister Philip Dunne admitted construction could be pushed back to 2017 to “optimise design”.

However “nothing has changed”, he said, and the programme would continue. He acknowledged delays “cause anxiety” among workers.

Scotland Secretary David Mundell said the Government was “absolutely committed” to shipbuilding on the Clyde.

“Over the next decade we will spend around £8 billion on Royal Navy warships.  We will also build two new offshore patrol vessels on the Clyde, maintaining Scottish shipbuilding capability ahead of the start of the Type 26 build. There will continue to be shipbuilding jobs on Clydeside for years to come, and that is only because Scotland is part of the UK,” he said.

His Labour counterpart Ian Murray tweeted: “If MoD contract for the Clyde is on track and there are no changes then why are the company informing unions of redundancies?”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met trade union reps at the Govan shipyard on Monday morning.

“The workers on the Clyde have unparalleled skills and experience – and they deserve better than empty promises,” she said.