By Alan Jones, Industrial Correspondent, PA News
The Prime Minister today pledged to do everything he could to safeguard the
future of the biggest Rover car plant as fears grew that the factory could
close with the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
Union leaders travelled to Munich seeking urgent talks with bosses of German
car giant BMW ahead of a crucial meeting of the supervisory board tomorrow
which will determine the future of its loss-making British subsidiary.
The union leaders were earlier left reeling after a three-hour meeting near
Birmingham with Rover chief executive Werner Samann, who refused to spell out
the options to be considered by the 22-member company board.
Tony Woodley, chief car industry negotiator for the Transport and General
Workers Union, warned: "There is no doubt that my instincts tell me we are
dealing with the proposed break-up of Rover.
"But we are still very much in the dark. It's extremely serious and I am
extremely angry at the way this is being played out and there's no doubt in
my mind the British workers and people are being treated despicably. We are
being used as soft touches."
BMW refused to add to its shock statement last night that it had been working
on proposals to restructure Rover.
The board is expected to issue a statement after tomorrow's meeting and BMW
is due to hold a press conference in Munich on Friday.
Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers today telephoned BMW chairman
Joachim Milberg to stress the importance of Rover to the UK.
In the Commons, Tony Blair told MPs the government would do everything
possible to safeguard the future of the huge Longbridge plant in Birmingham.
The Tories announced that they would be calling an Opposition Day debate on
Rover in the Commons tomorrow.
They switched a planned debate on housing in an effort to force Mr Byers to
the House to explain the situation.
Terry Pye, national officer of the Manufacturing Science and Finance union,
who was on the union mission to Munich, said BMW's reticence over the future
of Longbridge was "completely unacceptable".
He added: "Our members are understandably concerned about securing their
jobs. BMW's silence does not bode well for the future, so we are demanding to
know what the options are."
Meanwhile, the European Commission said it was pressing ahead with its
inquiry into proposed state aid to Longbridge.
A Commission spokesman said the routine investigation had already started and
there was no reason to call it off until the situation became clearer
surrounding BMW's rethink of its Rover ownership.
The Commission is looking into the legality of state aid worth about £150
million. Such funds to industry must be proved not to give one company or
sector an unfair competitive advantage in the European market place.
An air of despondency hung over Rover's Longbridge plant as workers arrived
for their shifts.
Workers voiced fears that BMW was about to announce a decision to axe
Longbridge's 9,000 employees, a move which would spark off tens of thousands
of job losses in the West Midlands components industry.
Keith Bagnall, who has worked at the sprawling Birmingham site for more than
30 years, said: "We have been here before and we all know that BMW are only
interested in the plant at Solihull and the profitable Land Rover part of the
company."
The 50-year-old assembly line worker added: "They offer with one hand and
take away with the other."
Rover has plants at Cowley, near Oxford and Solihull, West Midlands as well
as Longbridge.
The Birmingham Evening Mail newspaper said in a front page comment, faxed to
BMW in Munich: "Sadly, today marks one of the darkest days for Birmingham
since the Blitz, with BMW exposed as a cynical opportunist rather than a
trustworthy guardian of the Midlands' biggest employer."
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