Alstom job cuts: Live reaction as 2,000 Derby workers could lose …
Knock-on effects from delays to the building of the HS2[1] train line could mean that staff at major Derby employer Alstom (formerly Bombardier) are under threat. Two thousand people are employed at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane Works between Osmaston Road and London Road in the city – but nearly all of them could lose their jobs by the end of the year, according to reports.
Currently, staff are working on contracts which include the construction of a monorail for Egypt’s capital city Cairo. But this, and other contracts, are set to finish in the next six months.
Trains for HS2[2] are set to be built at the Alstom site. But while this work may have started in 2024 if everything was on schedule, delays in the construction of the train line and tracks mean that the manufacturing in Derby has been pushed back to 2026.
In addition, other contracts to secure work for the Alstom workforce in Derby have been scarce. It means that as it stands, there will be no significant work to offer Alstom’s 2,000 Derby employees[3] from the start of next year.
Poll: Should the UK deal with extreme weather better?[4]
The Times reports that Alstom is “looking at plans to reduce the workforce after lack of assurances from ministers”. Alstom’s website does not make any indication of the potential to cut jobs but the Times reported that the company had said: “Derby is very important to Alstom and to the UK rail sector. It is the only UK factory that can design, engineer, build and test trains for domestic and export markets.”
Derby’s Litchurch Lane works has been a central hub for the manufacture of trains since the Industrial Revolution. It is Alstom’s largest production facility in the world.
This is a developing story. Follow our live blog below for updates and reaction as they come in. Do you work at Alstom? Email [email protected][5] or send a WhatsApp message to 07909 003479.
References
- ^ HS2 (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ HS2 (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ will be no significant work to offer Alstom’s 2,000 Derby employees (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Should the UK deal with extreme weather better? (xd.wayin.com)
- ^ [email protected] (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)