Nissan's announcement of a gigafactory for Sunderland is a fantastic first for the UK - but cannot be the last
Unite union warns six more battery factories urgently needed just to ‘stay at the races'
Nissan's new gigafactory is a ‘fantastic first but cannot be the last', if the UK auto sector is to have the future it deserves, the country's leading car industry union, Unite, warned today (Thursday 1 July).
The UK urgently needs another six giga-factories to be built across the country over the next few years, says the union, just to keep pace with our competitors and secure the long-term future of the automotive sector, as it transitions from combustion engines to hybrid and full electric vehicles.
The call came as Steve Turner, Unite assistant general secretary for manufacturing, joined the union’s shop stewards and the Nissan management team and workforce, alongside senior cabinet ministers, to unveil plans for the new facility in Sunderland, which will secure Nissan’s future and bring over 2,000 new jobs to the area.
The government is part funding the development.
Speaking at the Sunderland plant, Steve Turner said: "Today is a vital step forward in securing a cleaner, greener future for our industry.
"Nissan and this incredible workforce were determined that Sunderland should lead the pack as we transition to electric vehicles and today they have delivered.
"They have battled for years to convince the government to support and invest in UK battery manufacturing, and today’s very welcome announcement will bring much-needed job security to the plant and thousands of new skilled jobs to the region.
"Today is their victory and I am so proud of the role our union, Unite, played in supporting them every step of the way.
"But this fantastic first must not be the last.
"We need at least another six giga-factories to secure the UK's future as a green auto manufacturer, with investment in the domestic manufacture of the high value components all urgently needed to successfully transition this industry and consumers away from the combustion engine.
"So, I urge the government not to rest on its laurels. Ministers must say more today about when these sites will be forthcoming. No loose promises for the future. Our economy and UK manufacturing demands investment now in the technologies of the future. Germany, for example, is not waiting around - its government is already investing over €1 billion in the construction of facilities to support its automotive heartlands.
"Across the world a green manufacturing revolution is underway. Businesses and investors are scouring the planet looking for opportunities to install green infrastructure and technology at pace and on a huge scale, and they will go where they can see a committed government partner.
"Unfortunately, the employers I deal with every day are tearing their hair out with frustration at the UK government's half-baked, uncoordinated approach to supporting green manufacturing. So I say to ministers celebrating today, you have to step up – no more easy soundbites. Miss this moment to deliver on green jobs and it will not come around again.
"We desperately need a UK battery factory plan not just to safeguard the UK as a modern-day manufacturing powerhouse but to signal to global manufacturers that they should invest here and to consumers that they can buy electric with confidence.
"We will not switch to electric cars or business vehicles, as the planet urgently needs us to do, unless we are confident that we can continue to get from A to B without a hitch. This requires access to a national network of affordable, rapid charge infrastructure.
"So today is a great day for Nissan workers and they can rightly celebrate. But for the rest of the country's automotive manufacturers, from mass producers to the niche market, for Vauxhall, JLR, Ford, Toyota and BMW, we need a resilient UK component supply chain and six more giga-factories, and we need them now. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are at stake.”