THE Government will today be urged to reverse the "disastrous" decision to award a lucrative rail contract to German giant Siemens, which has led to the loss of 1,400 jobs at a rival firm.
Derby-based Bombardier is cutting 1,400 jobs after failing to win the £1.4bn contract to build new carriages for the Thameslink route between Bedford and Brighton.
Union leaders will meet transport secretary Philip Hammond today when they will press him to help reverse the decision.
Unite assistant general secretary Diana Holland said: “The weight of public opinion is on the side of Bombardier and against the Government’s short-sighted decision.
“Politicians, the public and the media are equally shocked by the Government’s decision not to award Bombardier the Thameslink contract.
“The Government must rethink its disastrous decision and support British manufacturing and skilled jobs.”
The Rail Maritime and Transport union will present the minister with a dossier on the history of the global activities of Siemens and will call for an investigation into whether the company is “fit and proper”.
General secretary Bob Crow said: “Not only have we demolished the Government’s claim that Siemens represented the best value for the British taxpayer by exposing the fact that the wider economic impact of running down Bombardier was never taken into account, but we now have some serious questions that need answering about the business practices of Siemens.”
Meanwhile, a survey of 2,700 adults by YouGov showed that almost three in five believed that the Government should prioritise British companies over foreign ones when awarding major contracts.
