CEP: Scots-led Ministry of Defence continues to favour Scottish naval shipyards at England’s expense

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Tuesday, 30, Sep 2008 12:00

The MoD press notice last Friday sounded sweet and innocent enough: ‘The Royal Navy frigate HMS Campbeltown left her base port in Plymouth last week for exercises off the Scottish coast’, until, as CEP Secretary and West Country organiser Veronica Newman pointed out to her Devon members, one read the next line: ‘The ship is currently heading into Rosyth for a 12-month overhaul.’

‘What that means,’ stated Mrs Newman, ‘is that multi-million-pound refit work on a West Country warship has been switched from Devonport to Scotland. It is the first time that a refit of any Type 22 frigate has been undertaken outside Devonport since the ships entered service in the 1980s; and what it means is more employment for Scottish naval shipyards and, as the GMB convenors in the Devonport dockyards have said, a loss of work for those in England.

‘It isn’t an accident that this has happened. It is all taking place under the watchful eye of the UK Scottish Secretary of State for Defence, Des Browne MP for Kilmarnock. It is his department, and specifically his department’s Surface Ship Supports arrangements section, that has agreed with Babcock Marine this switch of work from England to Scotland. Babock Marine has been responsible for warship upkeep since it took over Devonport Management Ltd (DML)’. It paid £350 million for DML in July 2007 but then in February of this year announced plans to axe up to 600 posts – more than 10 per cent of its Plymouth workforce.

‘Mr Browne’s decisions are all part of a pattern’, stated Mrs Newman. ‘There is growing evidence of preference for employment in the Scottish naval shipyards over those of England, even though historically it has been the English navy over centuries which has defended these islands and English sailors who have been among the greatest naval explorers and sea captains in world history. England had a navy under Alfred the Great when Scotland was still just a country of scattered clans. Only in July of this year Mr Browne’s ministry announced that Scotland will get 64% of the work on the two new giant aircraft carriers while England, with 80% of the UK population, will get a mere 34%.

‘|As the Warships International Fleet Review had said on receiving notice of this switch of work from Devonport to Rosyth, ‘It does seem extraordinary bearing in mind the experience that Devonport has in refitting Type 22s since they entered service.’ However, said Mrs Newman, given how Scotland has benefited at England's expense since devolution, it is not surprising at all.

Contacts:

Michael Knowles tel. 01260 271139

Veronica Newman tel: 01225 351217