More than 80 jobs safeguarded at Rolls-Royce plant in union deal

More than 80 jobs have been safeguarded from compulsory redundancies for at least five years at the Rolls-Royce aerospace factory in Coventry.

A deal was struck between the company and trade union Unite for around 85 roles at the plant in Ansty, which makes where engine fan cases are made, and more than 575 jobs at its sister site in Renfrewshire which produces turbine blades and aerofoils.

Memorandums of understanding (MoU) have been signed for the two sites which state that Unite and Rolls-Royce will work together to bring new business to the plants including that related to climate change and developing green technologies.

Earlier this month, the company was considering temporarily shutting its jet engine plants for two weeks over the summer after the pandemic grounded thousands of jets, leading to fewer servicing demands.

At the start of December, Rolls Royce confirmed further job losses across the UK.

The British aerospace giant has been hit by the slump in global air travel caused by the pandemic, with a halting of aircraft orders subsequently affecting demand for the engines it makes and related services.

Last May, the company first announced a major restructuring, predominantly of the civil aerospace business, aiming to achieve total annual pre-tax cash savings of at least £1.3 billion by the end of 2022.

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said: “The agreements safeguarding more than 650 jobs in Inchinnan and Ansty are testament to the hard work of our members at both sites who, alongside our fantastic team of shop stewards and officers, were determined to secure a bright future for their workplaces and communities.

“Companies like Rolls-Royce have the potential to drive a jobs recovery as they produce the green tech needed to meet our zero carbon targets while cementing the UK’s position as the envy of the manufacturing world.

“Our manufacturing sector is key to meeting the immense challenges ahead – we now need government to be working much closer with both unions and industry to ensure that those challenges are met.”

Rolls-Royce said in a statement: “We are pleased to confirm that, after many weeks of complex and constructive talks about the future of our facilities in Ansty and Inchinnan, we have agreed a way forward with Unite which is based on us working closely with them to improve the competitiveness of both sites.

“The agreements show our commitment to the mid-term viability of these facilities where we will continue to explore the opportunities for future development and manufacturing work related to climate change programmes in line with company strategy.”