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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Workers call for action on jobs | Workers call for action on jobs |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| Thousands of workers from across the UK are set to take part in a protest march in Birmingham to call on the government to "halt the jobs crisis". | Thousands of workers from across the UK are set to take part in a protest march in Birmingham to call on the government to "halt the jobs crisis". |
| The demonstration, organised by the Unite union, is part of a campaign to press ministers to do more to help manufacturers weather the recession. | The demonstration, organised by the Unite union, is part of a campaign to press ministers to do more to help manufacturers weather the recession. |
| Unite chose to hold the rally in Birmingham as almost one-in-10 people in the West Midlands is now unemployed. | Unite chose to hold the rally in Birmingham as almost one-in-10 people in the West Midlands is now unemployed. |
| Former head of employers' group the CBI, Lord Jones, will be taking part. | |
| He will be joined by workers from firms hit by the recession, including steel giant Corus and car companies Vauxhall and Jaguar Land Rover. | He will be joined by workers from firms hit by the recession, including steel giant Corus and car companies Vauxhall and Jaguar Land Rover. |
| Call for subsidies | Call for subsidies |
| Unite wants the government to agree to measures ranging from short-time working subsidies to keep people in work to more state aid for firms. | Unite wants the government to agree to measures ranging from short-time working subsidies to keep people in work to more state aid for firms. |
| Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, will tell the rally the union's mission is "to get ministers to wake up and act to halt the jobs crisis". | Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, will tell the rally the union's mission is "to get ministers to wake up and act to halt the jobs crisis". |
| He will say: "Our message is clear: workers are not going to pay the price for the bankers crisis. | He will say: "Our message is clear: workers are not going to pay the price for the bankers crisis. |
| "We cannot risk seeing another forgotten generation of young people who cannot find work and have their lives ruined as a result." | "We cannot risk seeing another forgotten generation of young people who cannot find work and have their lives ruined as a result." |
| We need factories and plants open for when recovery comes because if they go they will be gone forever Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite | We need factories and plants open for when recovery comes because if they go they will be gone forever Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite |
| He will tell the rally in Centenary Square: "We need to get money - our money - moving from the banks to industry. | He will tell the rally in Centenary Square: "We need to get money - our money - moving from the banks to industry. |
| "We need a short-time working subsidy to keep plants open and workers in jobs until recovery comes. | "We need a short-time working subsidy to keep plants open and workers in jobs until recovery comes. |
| "We need factories and plants open for when recovery comes because if they go they will be gone forever." | "We need factories and plants open for when recovery comes because if they go they will be gone forever." |
| Lord Jones, a former trade minister, said he was forming an unlikely alliance with Unite to urge the government to act to support businesses and young skilled workers. | |
| "We need to [maintain] the skills of this country in manufacturing... ready for the upturn," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. | |
| "This government is talking a fine fight but it isn't putting anything into making sure that happens. | |
| "This country's manufacturing sector is reformed and fit-for-purpose. This isn't bail-out time. We have got some fabulous manufacturing business, selling around the world. | |
| "All it needs is to keep the skills here in the short term - about one year - and that's why I'm marching for the first time in my life." | |
| Job cuts | |
| Lord Jones stopped short of backing Unite's call for redundancy protection for British workers. | |
| He accepted that the labour market flexibility he championed made UK workers more likely to lose jobs than rivals in Europe. | |
| However, he said it also meant they would be more attractive to prospective employers when the economy picks up. | |
| TUC general secretary Brendan Barber will say behind the unemployment statistics are people "struggling to pay their mortgages and support their families". | TUC general secretary Brendan Barber will say behind the unemployment statistics are people "struggling to pay their mortgages and support their families". |
| The March for Jobs follows another grim week for job losses, with BT and Legal & General announcing thousands of job cuts and official figures showing a 244,000 increase in unemployment to 2.2 million. | The March for Jobs follows another grim week for job losses, with BT and Legal & General announcing thousands of job cuts and official figures showing a 244,000 increase in unemployment to 2.2 million. |
| Manufacturing has been one of the worst affected sectors, with redundancies more than doubling in the first three months of 2009 to 67,000, up from 29,000 in January-March 2008. | Manufacturing has been one of the worst affected sectors, with redundancies more than doubling in the first three months of 2009 to 67,000, up from 29,000 in January-March 2008. |
| A spokesman for the Department for Business said the government was working hard to support companies with "real help", adding that its Enterprise Finance Guarantee had received more than £375m of eligible applications while more than 2,000 businesses had been offered loans totalling more than £186m. | A spokesman for the Department for Business said the government was working hard to support companies with "real help", adding that its Enterprise Finance Guarantee had received more than £375m of eligible applications while more than 2,000 businesses had been offered loans totalling more than £186m. |
| The spokesman added that more than 124,000 businesses had gained agreement to defer payment of tax worth over £2.2bn. | The spokesman added that more than 124,000 businesses had gained agreement to defer payment of tax worth over £2.2bn. |