Rover workers get £150 million aid package
Tony Blair has said there will be a £150 million aid package to help the workers made redundant by the collapse of MG Rover.
The Prime Minister said the money would go towards training, redundancy packages and investment in new industries in the West Midlands.
Mr Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown visited the Longbridge plant following the collapse of talks with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).
Announcing the package of aid today, Mr Blair said the Government had done its “level best” to save a deal with the Chinese carmaker but said it had not been possible.
“What we’ve got to do now, having done everything possible to save Longbridge, is to look at the workforce and the families of the workforce,” he said.
“In essence, the £150 million package will help both the Longbridge workforce and the suppliers to make sure that they get the support that they need to search for other jobs, to make sure they get training, to make sure people are taken care of in terms of redundancies.”
Mr Blair said there would be a co-ordinated effort between the Government and regional agencies to “make sure people are properly looked after”.
This would start immediately, he said, by setting up interviews for all employees over the course of the next week to make them aware of the training and job opportunities available to them.
Announcing the breakdown of the aid package, Mr Brown said £50 million would be paid immediately to fund training schemes, £65 million would go towards diversifying industry in the West Midlands and £40 million would cover redundancy packages.
“Our job is to be on the side of hardworking families as they face the future,” the chancellor said.
“We are doing everything in our power to ensure there are jobs available and to help people to move forward.”
