BAE confirms it will cut 600 jobs

The Red Arrows use the Hawk trainer jet built in Brough

Defence company BAE has confirmed it will cut almost 600 jobs at its Brough site, near Hull and its Woodford plant near Manchester.

A failure to win new orders is partly behind the move, which will see almost a quarter of the 2,000 staff at Brough lose their jobs.

Engineering posts are most at risk, but staff in support and manufacturing at Brough will also be affected.

Union officials said they would resist compulsory redundancies.

Cuts at Brough were thought likely after BAE lost a big contract to supply 35 Hawk trainer jets to the United Arab Emirates.

The workload for the engineering team makes the current staffing level unsustainable BAE statement

BAE is Hull's biggest employer and the job losses will be a blow to the local economy.

New focus

About 134 job cuts are planned at the Woodford operation, near Manchester where the Nimrod surveillance aircraft is made.

However, jobs related to that plane are safe.

Instead, engineering posts on a range of projects, including the Typhoon, Airbus jets and the F-35, are under threat.

BAE is now focusing on unmanned fighter aircraft after the government decided to phase out the UK capability for large, manned military jets.

"The workload for the engineering team makes the current staffing level unsustainable, regrettably resulting in the redundancy announcement," BAE said in a statement.

BAE supplies the Typhoon combat jet to the RAF

Uncertain future

"Only a few days ago, the Red Arrows had the Hawks on display to celebrate the RAF's 90th anniversary," said Unite national officer Bernie Hamilton.

"Sadly, the future for the skilled workers that built these state-of-the-art jets is now uncertain."

He added that the union knew it would have a "challenge on our hands" at both sites as a result of rising competition, but said that the UK government should work to safeguard the country's aerospace industry for future generations.

Woodford site general manager Jim Welsh said: "We recognise that this is a difficult period for all employees and their families and we will continue to do everything practical to mitigate the number of compulsory job losses."