Jim Wallace

Gaffe by Wallace provokes jobs wrath

By The Basa ⋅ April 13, 2005 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Scotland’s Enterprise minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland, Jim Wallace, shocked workers at the former BAE Avionics plant at Crewe Toll in Edinburgh which has been at the heart of the development of the Eurofighter, creating the Captor radar system and special technology for pilots’ helmets by saying that he would stop new orders for the Eurofighter aircraft.

Union leaders and Mr Wallace’s political opponents warned his plans would put many of these jobs at risk and threaten the plant’s viability. One union leader said it “beggared belief” that Mr Wallace, the enterprise minister, would take the extraordinary step of jeopardising Scottish manufacturing jobs in this way.

If this is what our Enterprise minister does the the country and city, what will the enterprise ministers from other countries do?

More Information: Eurofighter policy gaffe by Wallace provokes jobs wrath

Wallace later defended his plans by saying that “the existing Eurofighter order, which the Lib Dems were committed to, would mean work for BAe Systems until 2010.” Bernie Hamilton, regional officer for Amicus Union said: “For the Enterprise Minister to make this sort of policy announcement without thinking about the importance to Scotland and manufacturing beggars belief.”

More info here.

Update:
Dumping Eurofighter could cost billions of pounds, Lib Dems told
Scotsman op-ed: Wallace’s inexcusable blunder
Letter to Scotsman: Defend Scots jobs

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