My Barnoldswick & Earby Times, Colne Times and Nelson Leader Column for Friday 27th July 2018…
Last week, I visited Rolls-Royce in Barnoldswick for a catch up with the senior team, following a meeting I had with the site’s Trade Union representative the week before. This follows the announcement in April of an expected 162 job losses locally over the next three years.
We discussed ongoing challenges specific to our two local sites like the fact the products they make are approaching the end of their life cycle. We discussed the wider challenges of automation, skills and what is being done to win more work for our area. They also briefed me on the ongoing changes to the site, some resulting from the company’s recent £50million investment.
I have visited Rolls almost every year since I was elected in 2010 and am always impressed not just by the skill and dedication of workers to the business but their appreciation that rapid technological change and other factors means that in business you can never stand still. The phasing out of older engines, the need to remain competitive globally, the move towards composite fan blades all mean the business needs to change.
Given the dedication and skills of the local workforce I am confident that despite the deeply regrettable job losses, the site’s prospects are good. However, this is a worrying time for workers, many of whom have spent their entire working lives at Rolls. I will continue to support the Trade Unions and management to secure investment into the Barnoldswick sites.
Also last week, the Government launched its Combat Air Strategy. This includes developing a successor to the Typhoon. The future fighter project, named Team Tempest, includes BAE Systems. The project should help safeguard vital jobs and skills in Lancashire’s aerospace industry and we should never forget how important defence contacts and jobs are to our local economy.
As we celebrate the year of engineering, it is important that we celebrate Pendle’s manufacturing industry. We did this a couple of weeks ago at the Pendle Business Awards and during the summer I look forward to visiting several local businesses. It is one of the great privileges of my job, being able to visit local companies and find out more about what they and what the government can do to help. We should be really proud of our local businesses, large and small, and the benefits they bring to our area.
