UK unions oppose Siemen's selection for Crossrail project
07 Sep 2011
The UK government's decision to select German engineering firm Siemens as the preferred bidder for the Crossrail train-building contract has drawn fire from unions. The unions are planning to tell the government that the decision has jeopardised the future of UK-based rail manufacturing.
Unions say the decision had imperiled thousands of jobs at Derby-based Bombardier.
Bombardier would see around 1,400 jobs go, but unions would warn MPs that an additional 1,600 jobs would end up on the block if the company decided to quit UK, while up to 12,000 positions in the supply chain would also be at risk.
In written evidence to be submitted to the committee, unions plan to point out that Britain's railways were "booming", with passenger numbers rising, trains overcrowded, running late and "completely unsuitable" for some routes.
According to the unions, much of the existing rolling stock needed to be replaced and the current pool of vehicles needed to be expanded rapidly to cope with increasing demand. They add that the future of Bombardier's factory should therefore be secure, but it was not.
According to Unite and the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) scores of firms dealing with Bombardier would be forced to cut jobs, after a study among 125 companies supplying Bombardier found that almost half relied on the firm for 5 per cent of sales, in addition to a similar number dependent almost entirely on the manufacturer.
Meanwhile, German group Siemens would build the Crossrail train fleet at Düsseldorf facility.
However, the furore over the Thameslink decision, which is seen to jeopardise the future of Britain's last remaining train factory at Bombardier's Derby facility, has forced ministers to pledge that the next train supply contest would put British contenders on an "equal footing" with their European counterparts.
