UK Could Lose Out On Thousands Of Jobs If RFA Ships Built Overseas

Overseas shipyards are "eyeing up" a £1 billion order for three new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, a union claims.

The GMB union believes that Government should reverse a decision to put the contract out to international tender later this month.

The union says that according to document they have through a Freedom of Information request, the Ministry of Defence held an Industry about the day which was attended by shipbuilding companies based in Germany, Italy, Holland, Poland, South Korea and Spain.

The GMB believe that the UK could lose out on a potential 6,700 jobs that would be created if the order went to a domestic shipbuilder and another 4,700 could be secured in supply chain companies.

National officer Ross Murdoch, said:

"The Government looks set to repeat the blue passports fiasco by putting another order of national significance out to tender abroad.

"Ministers are not bound by normal EU rules on competitive tendering when it comes to military ships. There really can be no excuse for sending our shipbuilding contracts overseas.

"We have a highly skilled shipbuilding workforce in the UK that is more than capable of making these ships at a fair market price. We face being sold down the river if the work goes to artificially subsidised international competitor shipyards instead.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said:

"All our warships are built in the UK and with the Type 26 frigates securing 4,000 Scottish jobs and 20 years of work on the Clyde, and industry preparing to bid for the new Type 31e class, we are witnessing a renaissance in British shipbuilding.

"We are launching a competition for three new Fleet Solid Support ships this year and strongly encourage British yards to take part."