BOMBARDIER JOBS-THE FIGHT GOES ON

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2011 :: RMTnews 14 RMT has vowed to continue the fight to save the train-building industry in Britain after Tory Transport minister Theresa Villiers claimed that there was "no option" but to award the Thameslink contract to UK- based Bombardier. The union understands that on the final decision to award the Thameslink train-building contract to German industrial giant Siemens instead of Derby- based Bombardier has been delayed due to the continuing crisis in the eurozone. Siemens, which is also a bank, has been hit by the financial crisis and in September withdrew £427million in cash from a French bank and sheltered it with the European Central Bank. Bombardier has warned that the loss of the £1.4 billion contract cost 1,400 jobs at its Derby factory. RMT regional organiser Ken Usher said after meeting the minister that unions were “bitterly disappointed to say the least”. “She has let us all down - but our campaign will continue," he said. The minister claimed that she was “legally bound” by the criteria set by the previous government. “There is no option open to us which would enable us to ignore the result of the competition and hand the contract to Bombardier,” she said. She claimed that review of public procurement was also under way, examining whether the UK is making best use of the application of the EU rules. RMT general secretary Bob Crow described as a scandal that Theresa Villiers had travelled all the way to Derby to do nothing other than confirm the death sentence hanging over UK train building and the thousands of jobs at Bombardier and in the supply chain. "The Thameslink fleet contract still isn't signed off and is bogged down in the turmoil of the global markets and it would have been a golden opportunity to end that shambles and kick-start production at the Derby plant which is geared up and ready to go,” he said. It was also revealed that the leading firm of consultants advising the government on the Thameslink rail deal had admitted a “conflict of interest” three times. On each occasion Interfleet Technology, an international rail consultancy group, disclosed intended work for the German company Siemens. And Interfleet, which has 600 consultants in 22 offices worldwide, was working for the German firm just weeks after Theresa Villiers named Siemens as “preferred bidder” for the Bedford to Brighton route on June 16. Bombardier was given some good news when it was awarded a three-year contract worth more than £15 million by ScotRail, covering operational support and supplies for its Class 170 Turbostar fleet of 177 vehicles, although it will not lead to any new jobs. BOMBARDIER JOBS THE FIGHT GOES ON Economic crisis delays decision on awarding Thameslink contract to German giant Siemens as Tories wash their hands of Bombardier workforce