Government Turning Back On Manufacturing Job Losses - Holmes

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 13th Aug 2003

Paul Holmes MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Work

The Government is turning its back on the hundreds of thousands of job losses at the heart of British manufacturing, Paul Holmes MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Work, said today.

Today's new figures show that jobs continued to be lost in manufacturing, where the number of employees has plunged to an all-time low of 3.51 million. A total of 129,000 jobs were lost in the three months to June compared with the same period a year ago.

Paul Holmes MP, said: "As manufacturing jobs continue to disappear it is clear that the Government is turning its back on British manufacturing and the families dependent on those jobs to survive."

"Although the Government maintain that unemployment figures are good, they cannot mask the steep decline being felt in key industries."

"Ministers must get to grips with the real economy of our towns and rural areas. Small scale factory closures have as detrimental an effect on the local community as the high-profile collapses that make news headlines."

ENDS

Notes to editors

Today's figures from Labour Market Statistics August 2003 (ONS) 129,000 manufacturing jobs were lost in the three months to June compared with the same period a year ago last year.