Industrial success key for Brown
Chancellor Gordon Brown today identified winning the battle for industrial success as a key priority in the Government’s third term.
He welcomed employment figures showing that there are more people now in work than during any other time in Britain’s history, and stressed the importance of the manufacturing sector to the economy.
Speaking to trade unionists at the Amicus annual conference in Brighton, Mr Brown said: “So having been winning the employment battle, we must win the battle for industrial success – winning the productivity battle for Britain and British industry – and in particular creating modern manufacturing strength.
“And I say to you today: let no one think that manufacturing will be allowed to be a sector of the past, to be praised for its historic role but somehow not relevant to the future. Our aim is modern manufacturing strength.”
Despite the crisis at Rover and the loss of manufacturing jobs, he pointed out that three million manufacturing jobs had been lost in both the US and Japan.
“So let us remember when some are pessimistic, I am not. Our aim is not to replace manufacturing by services but to build modern manufacturing services,” he said.
But the Chancellor emphasised to trade unionists the need for flexibility and adaptability in order to compete with developing nations such as China and India.
“We must be prepared to implement any necessary new laws, introduce any necessary new incentives, be prepared to make any necessary changes to make our country the most adaptable, flexible, innovative, enterprising and skilled in the global economy,” he said.
And he said that public sector reform and “wage discipline” must match the Government’s investment.
He also stressed that in order to compete the UK could not afford to waste the abilities of any child, teenager or adult.
On Tuesday night, the Chancellor underlined the Government’s opposition to the 48-hour working week, and called for a “truly national consensus” on European economic reform.
And he said of Britain’s forthcoming EU presidency: “We will push forward our proposals to liberalise the single market and make the European economy more dynamic.”
