Unite to fight to save 240 jobs under threat at Marshall, Cambridge
Cambridge can't afford to lose up to 240 highly skilled jobs at Marshall, the city biggest private employer, Unite warned today.
Unite, the country's largest union, said that Cambridge needed a balanced economy and it was vital to retain as many jobs as possible at the company's aerospace and defence divisions, and also at the company's site in Mildenhall, Suffolk.
Unite said that Marshall's had been hit by a decline in Ministry of Defence (MoD) contracts and called on the city's MP Julian Huppert to put pressure on his Liberal Democrat colleague, business secretary Vince Cable to support Marshall.
Unite regional officer Paul Bouch said:
“This is a cruel blow for these workers and their families in the run-up to Christmas and we want to work with the management to mitigate the loss of jobs.
“Next week there will be a series of meetings held on site for groups of about 20 employees to consider the offer of voluntary redundancy which closes on 29 November. We will then know the impact on compulsory redundancies.
“At a shop stewards' meeting yesterday it was agreed that we would do everything we can to bring down the number of compulsory job losses.
“The downturn in work is due to a lack of contracts from the MoD and it is time for Julian Huppert to step up to the plate and use his influence with Vince Cable to ensure that Marshall receives the support that it deserves.
“Cambridge can't afford to lose these skilled engineering jobs – the city needs a balanced economy and can't rely on the two universities, Addenbrooke's hospital and the companies operating in Silicon Fen. It also needs a strong manufacturing and engineering base.
“Unite will be fighting very hard to retain as many jobs as possible at Marshall in the days and weeks ahead.”
