Solidarity with Simclar Workers

That the Parliament condemns the decision of the Simclar Group, based in Irvine, to withdraw from hard-tooling manufacturing, resulting in the effective sacking of 200 permanent and 40 temporary workers; recognises that the Simclar Group is one of Scotland’s largest family-owned manufacturing concerns and has operations in Dunfermline in Fife and Kilwinning in North Ayrshire, as well as in Mexico, China and the United States of America, with a worldwide workforce of about 2,200; believes that the decision to sack 240 Scottish workers has been taken, as stated by a Simclar spokesperson, due to the “rising cost of production and relentless market pressure” and that this is the inevitable result of market capitalism, and calls on the Scottish Executive to demand top-level talks with the Simclar Group to convince it to reverse its unacceptable decision, to lobby New Labour in Westminster to bring redundancy payments and other legislation designed to protect workers’ rights up to at least European-wide standards, to ensure that Simclar uses the statutory 90-day consultation period to try to find suitable alternative employment for its workers in the local area and to do everything in its power to minimise compulsory redundancies, to signal its support for the Trade Union Freedom Bill at Westminster and to support the Simclar workers in whatever action they decide to take in defence of their jobs, factory and living conditions.