EVs’ likely impact on automotive workers prompts union call

A roadmap to put Britain’s car industry in the fast lane of electric vehicle technology has been set out by the country’s largest union, Unite.

Concerned about possible large-scale job losses in the United Kingdom’s automotive industry with a shift from the internal combustion engine to electric and hybrid vehicles, the union wants upskilling of workers and retooling, plus a national car scrappage scheme to promote sustainable EV uptake.

Unite’s report, Electric Vehicles, Autonomous Technology and Future Mobility, launched on March 14, warns that the biggest barrier to investment and innovation is government inactivity.

It is urging the UK government to emulate Germany, remove barriers and secure investment around EVs. The report calls for an industrial plan to “support to retool, reskill and develop the UK’s automotive supply chain”.

This should also include greater public investment in research and development, more investment in vital infrastructure – including charging stations, the national grid, domestic lithium extraction and battery recycling facilities, and a “just” transition plan for workers in the transport and petroleum industries.

Unite says the plan must defend the role of safety-critical drivers in road haulage and public transport, emulating the examples of rail and civil aviation.

“The government must do more to put the UK in the fast lane of electric vehicle technology and to secure our automotive industry’s world leading status for the years to come,” Unite manufacturing assistant general secretary Tony Burke says.

“Unite members are already building the all-electric Nissan Leaf and lithium-ion batteries, as well as hybrid engines for Toyota, Geely’s electric black cabs and hydrogen buses at Wrightbus.

“There is scope for so much more though. While BMW’s new electric Mini will be assembled in Cowley from 2019, the fact the electric powertrain and electric batteries will be imported from Germany shows the urgent need to develop UK capability.”

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey says the union wants investment in new sustainable technology for the UK automotive sector to hold its own against Germany, the United States, Southern Asia and China.

“The emergence of electric, internet-connected and driverless technology herald changes unseen since the end of the horse-drawn era.”

Unite also wants Ford to convert two of its main UK manufacturing plants to electric car making and new battery technology.

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