The non political ‘Keep our Future Afloat Campaign' is led by UNITE (Amicus) and GMB trade unions.
The 'Keep our Future Afloat Campaign' aims to:
- Sustain and grow jobs in naval shipbuilding in north west England.
- Secure full utilistion of the unique assets found in the UK's naval shipbuilding industrial base - the shipyard at Barrow and its supply chain.
- Sustain the 60% of UK naval ship/submarine design capability in Barrow shipyard.
Its main activities deliver:
- Briefings MPs’, MEPs’, regional and national political, defence and industry leaders on the significant contribution that the north west of England’s naval shipbuilding sector makes to UK complete warship design and build capability.
- Action Plans and other proposals which it submits to Government and Regional bodies.
- Support to the region’s main companies and naval shipbuilding supplier base in their bids for a share of forthcoming naval shipbuilding contracts.
- Profile raising of naval shipbuilding as an industry which is at the forefront of systems integration.
- The informative websites. www.navalshipbuilding.co.uk and www.navalunderseawarfare.co.uk
The Campaign is supported by a Secretariat provided by Furness Enterprise. Cammell-Laird, UNITE and GMB provide funding contributions.
The Campaign's Action Plan sets out its Vision, Aims, Objectives and detailed Activity Programme. It also informs, listing the Government's planned naval shipbuilding programme, why '8 Astutes' and 4 'Successor' submarines are needed, as well as highlighting the operational benefits of submarines It also describes why the defence industry of NW England is an important economic driving force for the region. Click here to read the Action Plan.
North West of England’s Policy on Naval Shipbuilding
NWDA's North West Regional Economic Strategy 2006 (www.nwda.co.uk) identifies advanced engineering and materials as a key sector to be supported. Naval shipbuilding forms part of this sector.
The north west of England’s Maritime Strategy includes policies for north west marine engineering which are designed to:
- Support development of ship repair and ship conversion on Merseyside.
- Retention of capabilities at
BAE SYSTEMS' shipyards at Barrow-in-Furness and Birkenhead.
In 2005, the MoD asked Rand Europe to look at the future of British naval shipbuilding over the next 15 years. Rand informed the MoD that:
