The aerospace company is undergoing major global restructuring
Rolls-Royce workers in the UK have mounted a three-week strike against the possible relocation of factory operations to Singapore.
Of the 550 employees stationed in Lancashire, 350 are now facing possible retrenchment if the aerospace company pushes through with plans to move its fan-blade production to Southeast Asia, labour leaders estimate.
The air transport crisis – stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic – prompted Rolls-Royce to undergo major corporate restructuring, the company said.
Rolls-Royce’s proposal to merge two production hubs in the UK and move operations to Singapore by 2023 is included in the company’s “strategic review” of global facilities.
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“We are working hard to mitigate any risk that this will have to our customers,” a company spokesperson told the AFP last week.
Rolls-Royce said it has yet to figure out exactly how many jobs would be cut if it shifts production to Singapore. Until then, the factories in Barnoldswick in Lancashire will stay operational.
The company is also set to shutter factories temporarily and cut work hours and benefits, the Financial Times reported.
Plans to move to Singapore have been met with opposition – from labour leaders and the community – in recent weeks.
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Unite, the UK’s largest trade union representing 1.4 million workers, criticised the proposal and launched the industrial action lasting until Nov. 27. The workers are “fighting to preserve the long-term viability of the site,” the union said in a statement.
“The proposed loss of jobs, let alone the total closure of the site, would have a devastating effect on Barnoldswick, where the company remains the principal employer,” the union said.
A signature campaign, which has received support from thousands, is also calling for the relocation plans to be scrapped.
