Shipbuilding strategy refuses to back UK yards while ‘Russian vessels bombard sovereign nation,’ GMB tells defence secretary

The threat of war is not abstract – our shipbuilding and ship repair sectors are essential to our national security, GMB Union tells Ben Wallace 

The Government’s refusal to guarantee UK ships will be built in UK yards in the forthcoming National Shipbuilding Strategy despite Russian vessels bombarding a sovereign European nation has been criticised by GMB in a letter to the Defence Secretary

The Minister of Defence [1] told the Defence Select Committee it will ‘not provide a guaranteed pipeline of work for UK yards’ when the refreshed Shipbuilding Strategy is published.

In a letter to Ben Wallace, the union urges the Secretary of State for Defence to ‘think again and overturn your department’s damaging policy on this matter.’

Gary Smith, GMB General Secretary, said: 

“The timing of the MoD’s refusal to back UK shipbuilding could hardly be worse.

“Defence jobs are being slashed across the board while Russian vessels bombard the shores of a sovereign European nation.

“The threat of war is not abstract. We are an island nation – our shipbuilding and ship repair sectors are essential to our national security.

“The war against Ukraine removes any doubt that we must look to our own defences.

“Thousands of shipbuilding jobs have been lost since the end of the cold war. The sector faces a crisis of casualisation and an aging workforce.

“These workers are part of our sovereign defence capabilities as much as the vessels that they produce and maintain.

“We urge the Secretary of State to think a gain and overturn his damaging policy – starting with the Fleet Solid Support competition, worth more than £1.6 billion to the UK economy.” [2]