The UK defense ministry has approved an engine order for the second batch of Royal Navy Type 26 frigates, securing the immediate future of the General Electric’s Rugby site.
The contract is important because GE had previously announced the site’s closure with its work being moved to Nancy in France by the end of 2019.
Workers’ union Unite said the MoD’s order comes after months of intense campaigning and a recent House of Commons defence select committee hearing where Unite gave evidence.
Unite went on to urge the government to build on today’s announcement and help remove the threat of redundancies still hanging over the world leading site and secure its long-term future by committing to build the Royal Navy’s new fleet Solid Support ships in the UK with UK steel.
“If it had not been for the tenacity of Unite’s shop stewards and our members then we could have been looking at confirmation that GE’s Rugby site would close and its work shipped abroad,” Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said.
“Instead this world class workforce, whose skills and expertise has built motors which power all the Royal Navy’s warships, can look forward to working on the second batch of Type 26 Frigates.
“Unite’s priority is now to reduce the number of potential redundancies at the site and secure its long-term future.”