Rolls Royce urged to use furlough extension to safeguard jobs

Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, called on Rolls Royce, which has a site in Hucknall, to fully utilise the extension of the furlough scheme until March 2021 as the company announced nearly 1,400 jobs are being cut in the UK and globally.

The latest job losses which have been announced are part of the company’s plan to slash its worldwide workforce by 9,000 which was announced in May this year, of which about 3,300 were earmarked for the UK.

Unite understands that the job losses could affect 650 managers, 100 staff and 420 production workers and is seeking urgent clarification on how many jobs are under threat in the UK and how many in the rest of the world.

Unite national officer for aerospace, Rhys McCarthy, said: “We are calling on the Rolls Royce management to halt its job loss programme in the UK, while it fully considers the implications of the extension of the furlough scheme until the end of March 2021 that chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled to MPs.

“Rolls Royce is one of the foremost jewels in the UK’s manufacturing crown and we must all strive to ensure that this world leader in engine-making maintains its highly skilled workforce, so the company is ready for the challenges of the post-pandemic economy. We can’t afford, as a country, to lose skilled manufacturing jobs as they will generate the prosperity for the benefit of all in the years to come.”

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