Rolls-Royce staff 'fear the worst'

Rolls-Royce has been hit by the aerospace downturn

Workers at a Rolls-Royce plant in Scotland said they were braced for bad news after the company announced that it would be cutting 5,000 jobs from its worldwide operations.

Staff at the Rolls-Royce plant in Hillington, near Glasgow, said the news was "depressing" and they did not think they would be employed for "much longer".

Trade unions said they were "disappointed" at the announcement and moved to arrange meetings to gauge the impact north of the border.

Rolls-Royce said that 3,800 jobs would be cut from its UK workforce although it did not reveal if any of these would be at plants in East Kilbride, Hillington and Dalgety Bay - sites which employ about 2,900 people.

So what do people like me do when they go? The skills I've got probably won't be needed anywhere else either

Rolls-Royce worker

One 38-year-old employee who has worked for the company for 23 years said morale was low among workers.

The father-of-two said: "We're all fed up, well and truly fed up. These cuts have been on the cards for a long time.

"What's happened in the US is just an excuse. This was happening well before last month and we all know that.

"There's no work in here, it's all gone overseas to places like Israel. The big bosses like to tell folk there's an order for this and that, but I can tell you it's quiet, deadly quiet.

"There are 1,300 of us here and I don't think that many of us feel that we'll have our jobs for that much longer. It's pretty depressing."

'Real worry'

Another 53-year-old worker at the Hillington plant said he believed that at least 250 to 300 jobs would be lost in Scotland.

"A good few of us will be on the way out. There's no doubt about that," he said.

"The really sad thing is there are not that many young, really young people here, the days of apprentices have long gone.

"So what do people like me do when they go? The skills I've got probably won't be needed anywhere else either. At my age it's a real worry."

Danny Carrigan: "Assess the situation"

The Amalgamated Electrical and Engineering Union (AEEU) described the job losses as "disappointing and called on the government to help the aerospace industry in the same way it helped farmers affected by the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

The union's Scottish regional secretary, Danny Carrigan, said: "We are meeting with shop stewards in Glasgow to see what the breakdown and implications are for Scotland.

"The AEEU's powerful regional council will meet tomorrow to assess the situation not just at Rolls-Royce but all jobs lost in the last couple of months and to determine our strategy in combating these job losses."

Mr Carrigan said he did not know how many Scottish workers would be affected but stressed that it was unlikely that they would "remain unscathed."

He added: "We need the government to look at how they can assist manufacturing and the companies affected by the events of 11 September.

'Doom, gloom and depression'

"The government gave £1bn of aid to the farmers and rural economy during foot-and-mouth and should be looking what it can do for the manufacturing industry in the short term."

News of the impending job losses has also sent shock waves through local communities near the Scottish plants.

William Laird, 58, who lives near the Hillington plant, said: "Even if it's 300 people that go, that's a lot of men. It might be that figure now, but by the looks of it, there's bound to be more job losses to follow.

"There are shops and other businesses here that rely on these boys' trade and they are obviously worried. You don't ever want something like this to happen where you live, as it causes doom, gloom and depression."