BAE Systems to axe 600 jobs

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Officials expressed shock at the scale of the cuts at the sites in Brough, near Hull and Woodford, near Manchester.

Unite said it would resist compulsory redundancies among the 450 job losses at Brough, home of the Hawk aircraft, and 134 job cuts at Woodford, the home of Nimrod.

National officer Bernie Hamilton said: "Only a few days ago the Red Arrows had the Hawks on display to celebrate the RAF's 90th anniversary. Sadly, the future for the skilled workers that built these state of the art jets is now uncertain.

"Unite will resist any compulsory redundancies and will be working with management at both sites to find alternatives, including re-skilling, transfers to other operations and work packages from other projects.

"In the long term it is imperative that the aerospace industry and the UK Government reaches agreement to safeguard the UK's large fixed wing capability for future generations."

BAE Systems said the job cuts at Brough would affect engineering, manufacturing and business support areas, while those at Woodford would impact on engineers.

The company said it had been seeking additional work for the Brough site, but it was not able to sustain the current number of jobs. A transition plan was being developed to retain "critical capabilities" at Brough, which would include reducing its dependency on the Hawk.

BAE said a review last year of the engineering capabilities in its military air solutions business had identified that the workload would reduce as products moved from design and development into the support phase, which had led to the job cuts at Woodford.

The firm said there was no opportunity for significant transfer of engineering work packages to the site, despite the good reputation of the Woodford team.