UK trade union GMB has warned that protection is needed for our manufacturing industry following Britainâs decision to leave the EU, if we are to see thousands of jobs secured. With the help of several other unions and industry professionals, GMB is working to prevent products such as cheap steel and ceramics from entering the market as a result of the EU Referendum vote.
Seven associations from the manufacturing industry have teamed up with the leading trade union to send out a clear message to politicians, which is to address the issues related to Brexit and trade when their manifestos are released ahead of the upcoming general election.
It is vital that whoever forms the next government must have the right protections in place from day one, commented Jude Brimble, the GMB National secretary for Manufacturing. After Britain leaves the EU hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs and businesses will be at risk from unfair dumping. Without the proper safeguards, the British market could be flooded with cheap imported steel, ceramics and other materials from overseas.
These problems have arisen based on the fact that the UK manufacturing industry has been protected by rules set out by the EU as part of the European Commission for some time now, and once the UK leaves the EU this protection and defence of manufacturers will no longer be in place.
GMB strongly believes that if the government does not act fast once out of the EU, then it is likely to sacrifice a huge volume of jobs within the UK industry. Dr Laura Cohen, the Chief Executive of the British Ceramic Confederation, believes that the EU measures have helped the sector to stabilise, invest and employ more people, and the UK needs to adopt a system where this approach stays as effective.
Will the manifestos address this issue? We will soon find out.
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