BAE Systems plans 3'000 layoffs in UK

"After days of speculation and rumours our worst fears have been confirmed. It's a dark day for thousands of skilled men and women across the country and it is a dark day for British manufacturing. BAE Systems has dealt a hammer blow to the UK defence industry and Unite is determined to fight the cuts", said Unite national officer Ian Waddell. "Unite is meeting with BAE Systems today and we will be doing everything we can to mitigate the impact of these cuts. The government cannot sit on its hands and allow these highly skilled jobs to disappear. We expect the MoD to intervene urgently to protect these jobs, otherwise the UK's defence industry risks losing the critical mass it needs to maintain its reputation as a world leader in defence manufacturing." The potential job losses are as follows: • 899 at Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire • 843 at Warton and Preston, Lancashire • 565 at Samlesbury, Lancashire • 132 at Yeovil, Somerset • 102 at other UK locations including Royal Air Force bases • 81 at Frimley, Surrey • 78 at Farnborough, Hampshire • 74 at Filton, Bristol • 51 at Christchurch, Dorset • 35 at Hillend, Fife • 26 at Great Baddow, Essex • 21 at Loughborough, Leicestershire • 19 at New Malden, Surrey • 9 in overseas locations • 7 at Malvern, Worcestershire

Pressure on the US defence budget and top level programme changes mean the anticipated increase in F-35 production rates will be slower than originally planned, again impacting on our expected workload.

Ian King, Chief Executive, BAE Systems commented: “Some of our major programmes have seen significant changes. The four partner nations in the Typhoon programme have agreed to slow production rates to help ease their budget pressures. Whilst this will help extend our production schedule and ensure the production line stays open until we receive anticipated export contracts, it does reduce the workload at a number of our sites."