Government must gain access to Made in Europe plans to protect automotive industry, Unite

Unite, the UK’s leading union, is calling on the government to ensure that the UK gains access to the European Union’s Made in Europe legislation in order to protect the automotive sector and other core manufacturing divisions. 

The Made in Europe proposals form part of the European Union’s Industrial Accelerator Act which is designed to protect the European Union and certain allies, from cheap Chinese imports. However the UK is currently excluded from the legislation.

Given the highly integrated nature of the automotive sector in both the sale of vehicles and the production of components, the UK’s exclusion from the Made in Europe plans would seriously damage the UK’s manufacturing base. Other sectors that could be heavily affected by the proposals include the defence industry.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The UK’s exclusion from Made in Europe plans would deliver a hammer blow to British manufacturing and have a negative impact on jobs and skills. The government must ensure that British made products are protected under the new legislation and give a clear signal to the manufacturing sector that there is a plan to make this happen, before any irreversible decisions are made.”