Photo shows Ed Miliband, Margaret Curran and Alex Rowley being briefed on progress on top of the Queen Elizabeth carrier.
Local MSP Alex Rowley joined with Shadow Secretary of State Margaret Curran and Labour leader Ed Miliband on a visit to Rosyth Dockyard this week to view the progress on the new build Aircraft Carrier the Queen Elizabeth and along with Dunfermline MP Thomas Docherty met the Rosyth Trade Unions to discuss the future of the Yard.
Speaking after the visit Mr Rowley said; “The Aircraft carriers project is the largest land based engineering project in Europe and it is very impressive to walk up the ship and think this was put together here in Fife in the Cowdenbeath constituency. There are around 10,000 jobs associated with this project with around 2,000 of them direct at Rosyth and many more in the supply chain in and around Fife.
“I was concerned however at the briefing we had from the Joint Trade Unions who expressed to us the concerns they and the company have of the threat to jobs and the future of the yard from the possible separation of Scotland from the rest of the UK. They are focussing on getting the Aircraft carrier refits programme as well as continuing to win contracts for other Royal Navy work and say they would lose any chance of this if Scotland is a separate state from the rest of the UK. The yard has also benefitted from the major investment in the oil and gas sector”.
The MSP said he was taking on board the concerns the unions have about the future and would be campaigning to secure a strong future for the yard within the UK.
