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Alstom Derby only has a few weeks left




The
managing
director
of
Alstom



in
Britain
and
Ireland
has
warned
that
the
company’s
Derby
factory
in
Litchurch
Lane
will
have
run
out
of
work
by
the
end
of
January
when
the
building
of
Aventra
units
is
completed,
and
if
it
closes
thousands
of
jobs
will
be
lost.



Nick
Crossfield
was
giving
evidence
in
Westminster
to
the
Transport
Select
Committee,
which
is
preparing
a
report
on
the
future
of
Britain’s
trains.



While
the
Committee
was
in
session,
protestors
from
Derby
and
the
union
Unite
were
demonstrating
outside.



Mr
Crossfield
said:
‘We
finish
the
manufacturing
programmes
at
the
end
of
January

so
in
six
weeks
we
go
from
an
annual
output
of
650
cars
employing
3,000
people
to
zero.
The
meter
is
running.’



There
are
also
fears
for
the
security
of
jobs
in
Alstom’s
supply
chain,
much
of
which
is
in
the
East
Midlands,
and
those
fears
are
already
proving
justified.
He
continued:
‘Today,
I
have
the
supply
chain
showing
liquidation.
My
paint
supplier
has
gone
into
insolvency,
a
major
on-site
supplier
providing
the
wiring
loom
employing
several
hundred
people
[has]
announced
at
the
end
of
January
it
is
done.



‘The
timing
of
these
decisions
is
critical
because
if
I
don’t
get
clarity
in
the
next
six
weeks

it
all
goes.’



He
also
told
MPs
on
the
Committee
that
‘there
is
a
conversation
to
come’
about
how
the
Prime
Minister’s
decision
to
abandon
HS2
to
Crewe
and
Manchester
will
affect
the
order
for
rolling
stock
on
the
high
speed
line,
which
was
won
jointly
by
Alstom
and
Hitachi.



He
concluded
that
train
building
in
Derby
was
at
‘serious
risk’,
and
that
‘clarity
about
future
orders,
including
on
HS2’
was
needed
urgently,
warning
that
if
Litchurch
Lane
closes
Britain
could
need
to
import
trains
in
future
from
as
far
away
as
China.



The
leader
of
Derby
City
Council
Baggy
Shanker
was
among
the
protestors
in
Westminster.



He
has
already
criticised
the
lack
of
government
involvement,
saying:
‘The
hundreds
of
jobs
that
will
disappear
at
Alstom
will
be
mirrored
by
thousands
more
in
the
supply
chain
and
when
the
nation
does
want
to
order
new
trains
in
the
future,
it
will
struggle
to
find
anyone
in
the
UK
to
build
them.



‘This
is
simply
unthinkable
for
a
country
which
gave
railways
to
the
world,
and
the
Government
has
to
find
the
political
will
to
resolve
this
crisis.’

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