Defence cuts: £3.6bn Nimrod project axed
THERE was mixed news for North West jobs in yesterday’s Strategic Defence Review.
While thousands of workers in Barrow, Lancashire and on Merseyside will have been relieved by the move not to stop the Trident nuclear submarines replacement project or cancel the two new aircraft carriers or halt the Eurofighter Typhoon and Joint Strike Fighter projects, the £3.6bn Nimrod MRA4 aircraft programme was axed.
Unions claimed this would lead to the early closure of a factory at Woodford near Stockport by defence contractor BAE Systems.
Prime Minister David Cameron told The House of Commons the much-delayed programme for nine Nimrod aircraft was being cancelled.
Unions criticised the closure plans, saying they made ‘no sense whatsoever’ given that the Nimrod programme was nearly completed.
Bernie Hamilton, Unite’s national officer for aerospace and shipbuilding, said: “Given that the project is virtually complete, scrapping the Nimrod MRA4 makes no sense whatsoever.
“Its cancellation will mean the early closure of BAE Systems’ site at Woodford, leading to the loss of the engineering jobs at BAE and on site at RAF Kinloss.”
Originally the Nimrod contract was signed in 1996 for a total of 21 planes. This has since been scaled back to nine, Two of the giant spy planes have been completed, but will now not enter service.
BAE Systems – which announced in September 2009 that the Woodford site would close by 2012 – said it was too soon to discuss the implications of the cuts.
Around 500 staff BAE staff work at Woodford – which made 7,000 Lancaster Bombers during World War II – while a similar number are working there as contractors.
Another 400 people are involved in project management of Nimrod at BAE Systems’ site at Warton in Lancashire.
BAE Systems said in a statement regarding the Defence Review: “The announcement gives us the basis on which to adapt our plans.
“We will now study the Review and the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review and will make a further announcement alongside the release of our interim management statement on Thursday 21 October.”
