Unite will engage now to ensure outcome will satisfy key trade union demands

Unite has welcomed today’s announcement that shipbuilder Navantia is to take on all four Harland and Wolff shipyards. 

The union will now engage with the deal to make sure that commitments are delivered for the workforce at all four shipyards to transfer with no break to continuity of employment – meaning their pay, terms and conditions will be protected under the Transfer of Undertakings, Protection of Earnings (TUPE) regulations.

Unite which is the largest union in the Harland and Wolff workforce. Workers, backed by the union, occupied the Belfast shipyard for eleven weeks in 2019 to defeat the last threat of closure. Unite has once again been active with the aim of securing an outcome that both guarantees jobs and a future for the industry.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Unite has been working day and night to secure the interests of the workers at Harland and Wolff and the future of the UK’s shipbuilding industry. After countless meetings with government, the employer, and prospective buyers, we now have a good news story offering real hope for the future. Unite will always do whatever it takes to fight for workers’ interests.”

Regional officer for the shipyard workers in Belfast is George Brash who said, “Once again the workers and Unite have had to fight hard to secure a positive result. We are now focussed on the delivery of guarantees both for the jobs and continuity of employment.

“Unite will now engage with the detail of the deal to ensure that our members’ demands have been met and workers have the full protections afforded to them under TUPE regulations. We want to secure deal that offers a bridge into the future for our members and the centuries old Belfast shipbuilding industry.”