Jim McGovern calls for action over Dundee job losses
21 August 2012Dundee West MP Jim McGovern has today called for the Scottish and UK governments to take action over unemployment in Dundee, as 100 job losses are announced at Brown Construction who are based in the city.
The job losses were announced by the company earlier today (Monday 20th August), and support was immediately offered to the workers affected by the UCATT trade union, which represents them.
The most recent unemployment statistics for July showed that were 3,766 people currently claiming job seekers allowance in Dundee West, 79 higher than in June 2012, which is 9.9% of the working population. This is above the Scottish average of 7.9% and the UK average of 8%.
Jim McGovern said;
“The announcement that 100 jobs at Brown Construction are to be lost in Dundee is a terrible blow for the city, especially at time when the city is being redeveloped and construction jobs ought to be in demand.”
“As someone who served an apprenticeship and worked for 25 years in the construction industry I find this particularly disappointing.”
“Unemployment is already unacceptably high in Dundee and adding 100 more people to that is a great concern.”
Mr McGovern concluded,
“I will support my colleagues in UCATT as they offer assistance to those workers affected, and I am renewing calls for the Scottish and UK governments to start taking unemployment in Dundee seriously, to abandon their failed economic policies and to come up with a solution as a matter of urgency.”