Mayor of London supports food processing jobs

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan signed a GMB trade union charter on Wednesday to promote manufacturing jobs in the food industry.

The ‘Making It’ charter focuses on strengthening the manufacturing sector by attracting investments, supporting UK manufacturers, building strong and local supply chains, and investing in skills and research.

GMB analysts found that the manufacturing industry provides 110,000 jobs in London and boosts the economy by £8.5bn each year. Manufacturing in Ealing provides 13,000 jobs, boosting London’s economy by £765m; while Harrow and Hillingdon manufacturers employ 10,000 workers and add £891m to the economy.  The largest sub-sector in London is food manufacturing, which employs 24,000 in the capital.

“It’s often said that we don’t make anything here anymore, but that’s wrong. Our Making It campaign reveals the truth about manufacturing and celebrates the work GMB members proudly do every day,” said GMB national secretary Jude Brimble.

“We’re delighted to have the Mayor’s backing for our ambitious charter to support manufacturing jobs in London, with this diverse sector supporting more than 100,000 livelihoods and bringing billions into the capital.”

Brimble also stressed that the manufacturing sector needs better protection as it provides more full-time jobs, permanent contracts and 20% higher wages on average than other sectors.

GMB London region senior organiser Shaun Graham expressed his concerns over how the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union will negatively disrupt the manufacturing sector, saying: “The potential impact on the UK food industry is of particular concern for GMB London and thousands of our members who work in food production in north-west London. Any adverse impacts will have a massive impact on those workers and their tight-knit communities.

“GMB wants to ensure that our members who work in manufacturing, businesses and politicians are aligned to a positive vision of UK manufacturing for now and into the future.”