WELSH GOVERNMENT MINISTER BACKS GMB ‘MAKING IT’ CAMPAIGN

WELSH GOVERNMENT MINISTER BACKS GMB ‘MAKING IT’ CAMPAIGN 

GMB IS PLEASED TO RECEIVE THE SUPPORT OF CABINET SECRETARY FOR ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT KEN SKATES FOR UNION’S ‘MAKING IT’ CAMPAIGN.

The Assembly Member for Clwyd South has backed GMB’s pioneering ‘Making It’ campaign. [1]

Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and Transport signed a charter backing the campaign at a manufacturing road show in Pierhead building last week.

Both Employers and GMB representatives were in attendance along with the Cabinet Secretary and other AM’s.

Through the campaign, GMB aims to challenge the dominant idea that UK manufacturing is in decline, and change public perceptions to manufacturing in the 21st century.

It also outlines GMB’s strategy for the industry moving forward, highlighting the key issues it believes needs to be solved for the Manufacturing to become even more successful.

Manufacturing currently employs 142,000 people in Wales and the sector is worth 9 billion each year to the nation’s economy, including 630 million generated for Cardiff’s economy alone.

Although the largest employer is still conventional machinery production, the face of manufacturing is changing.

Food manufacturing is now the largest sub-sector and the largest group of GMB’s manufacturing members.

Food employs 18,000 people in Wales.

Manufacturing jobs are also good quality Jobs. At a time when insecure work and the so-called ‘gig-economy’ are growing, manufacturing workers are typically skilled workers in full-time employment and on permanent contracts.

Their wages are on average 20 per cent higher than in the wider economy.

JUDE BRIMBLE, GMB NATIONAL SECRETARY FOR MANUFACTURING, SAID:

“We held a very successful ‘Making It’ roadshow in Cardiff and it was really important for us to hear from both GMB activists and industry experts alike.

“I want to thank Ken Skates AM for signing up and supporting the campaign in Wales.

“It’s so important that Governments positively support UK manufacturing if we are to secure a robust and healthy economy.

“He offered a real insight into how Welsh Labour is driving investment, attracting companies and creating new high skilled jobs.

“We think that there are real opportunities that Wales could benefit from by companies competing on quality, innovation and skills and the importance of maintaining the strong social partnership between trade unions, industry and Government.”

MERVYN BENNETT, GMB WALES & SOUTH WEST HEAD OF MANUFACTURING, SAID:

“We’re calling upon all political parties across the UK to invest in the manufacturing industry by creating more apprenticeship, improvements in training in vital skills.

“Political parties need to provide work to manufacturing companies based in the UK from procurement contracts to support manufacturing companies that exist and to create employment in this vital industry.

“GMB will now be looking to build the campaign, with our manufacturing activists, and will be engaging further with the Welsh Government to make sure Welsh manufacturing delivers quality jobs and opportunities for workers”.