Protest outside Birmingham LDV plant
“If Lord Mandelson thinks he can tell staff here that they should sort themselves out, that is a disgrace when he is quite willing to bail out the banks with taxpayers' money.
“We have seen the government bail out the banks time and time again, so they clearly have the money to bail out LDV.
“It is time the Government stepped up to the mark and took some responsibility.”
Business Secretary Lord Mandelson yesterday refused to offer LDV a bridging loan of £30 million and told workers “Sort yourselves out.”
He said that LDV had not repaid a previous £24 million Government loan, yet the taxpayer was now being asked to “step up to the plate” as the firm piled up further trading losses. If the plant, which is owned by Gaz, does shut down it is estimated that another 7,000 UK jobs could be lost as a knock on effect.
Hodge Hill MP, Liam Byrne, is now understood to be pushing the Department for Business to invest tens of millions of pounds in the plant to clear the path for a management buyout.
But the move would only come if Gaz, who are currently looking to sell LDV, invest their own chunk of cash.
Caroline Johnson, assistant branch secretary for Unison Birmingham, added: “We will now urge our members to go to London on March 28 for the march for jobs, justice and climate.”
