Concern over British Engines redundancies (Greg Stone)

Concern over British Engines redundancies

October 1, 2009 11:58 AM

Newcastle East Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman Greg Stone has expressed concern over the announcement of 40 job losses at the British Engines plant at St Peter's. The cuts amount to 10% of the company's workforce which is suffering a decline in orders due to falling demand for major investment in new installations due to the global recession.

Greg said "I am alarmed to hear about these significant cuts to the workforce at one of the East End's biggest industrial sites. British Engines is a proud part of the engineering tradition of the East End. It is one of the last surviving major employers in this sector in Newcastle and is a major contributor to the city's offshore industrial base."

"I call on One North East and other economic agencies to identify a package of support for British Engines, including helping with identifying new business opportunities as a result of the weak pound, to safeguard the future of this important part of Tyneside's engineering industry, to protect highly skilled jobs, and to help workers made redundant find new employment forthwith.

"The East End has seen the last remnants of its shipbuilding industry go under the current Labour government; it simply cannot afford to lose its remaining engineering industry as well. "