General Electric: Taskforce set up to help get Stafford GE staff back in work
A taskforce will be set up to help hundreds of General Electric workers in Stafford whose jobs are to go.
The industrial group plans to shed 1,100 jobs across the UK – including about 500 at the Lichfield Road site.
But Staffordshire County Council bosses have today vowed to set up a working group to help affected staff.
Chiefs will work with the Department for Work and Pensions and other partners in order to get the GE workers back into employment.
Staffordshire County Council’s economic boss Mark Winnington said: "We will be working partners to ensure we are doing all we can to support anyone affected.
“We will ensure anyone affected by job losses can make the most of opportunities that exist and are being created elsewhere.”
The council vow comes as Britain’s largest union Unite warned General Electric of the danger of cutting ‘too far, too fast’ after it announced the cuts.
Unite has also demanded a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies after the firm announced restructuring plans for its UK power division.
It says the cuts, which will primarily impact on the firm’s Rugby and Stafford sites, as a major blow to the Midlands’ economy and has vowed to fight to keep as many jobs as possible.
Unite national officer Linda McCulloch said: “General Electric is in danger of cutting too far, too fast and leaving itself ill equipped to meet the challenges of the changing power generation market.
“These proposals will be a shock for General Electric’s loyal workforce and deal a major blow to the Midlands’ economy which will be deprived of highly skilled well paid jobs because of this announcement.
“Over the coming days and weeks Unite will be supporting our members and scrutinising the company’s business case as we fight to save as many jobs as possible.
“Unite will also be seeking guarantees from General Electric that there will be no compulsory redundancies and that there will be redeployment opportunities for workers wishing to stay with the business.”
The proposals for Stafford would see the the GE Power Services factory at Lichfield Road close.
GE is consulting staff on the measures but says Stafford would still remain one of the top 10 sites for the firm in the UK, employing more than 800 workers at the former Alston base.
