Bradford & District | Archive | 2005 | July | 12
From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Tuesday 12th Jul 2005.
Bradford's manufacturing industry could disappear altogether within 24 years unless the Government takes urgent steps to help companies compete.
This is the stark warning from Britain's biggest union, the Transport & General, as it embarks on its biennial conference in Blackpool.
And it is echoed by Bradford business leaders.
The union said the crisis had worsened in the past year and the sector would be totally obliterated by 2029.
The TGWU research, based on figures from the Office of National Statistics, show Yorkshire had 335,000 manufacturing jobs at the end of last year, a cut of 10,000 in a year.
The union said based on the Yorkshire figures alone manufacturing would not disappear until 2038. It pointed to research by ICM showing 90 per cent of British people believed the Government should do more. General secretary Tony Woodley said he believed the Government had "got it wrong" on manufacturing and should be giving more backing to British industry.
He said the UK was bottom of the league for Government aid for industry and pressed for "manufacturing champions" to help boost the sector.
"Most people say a prosperous manufacturing sector is crucial to the economy yet do not believe this Government is going to act to save it.
"We need action to prevent offshoring, Government procurement policies that support British jobs and for the state to be willing to hold a stake in major companies."
Bradford Chamber of Commerce shares the TGWU's fears. President Roland Clark said: "We would agree with the anxieties expressed about the future of manufacturing. Much of the sector is on a downward trend and that's certainly not good for British manufacturing in the future.
"Our members say they want more done to support manufacturing. They want to see a realisation of the Government's commitment to its future. In short, they want to see words transformed into action."
Penny Hemming, Yorkshire director of the Confederation of British Industry, said more than 20 per cent of Yorkshire businesses were involved in manufacturing, compared to just 16 per cent nationally.
"Most mature economies have a fairly low percentage of manufacturing," she said.
"But it isn't inevitable it will shrink at the same rate. What we want the Government to do is ensure the UK becomes an investment place of choice for overseas companies and that industry isn't over regulated because this acts disproportionately on manufacturers."
© Newsquest Media Group 2008