Campaigns
Keep Britain Afloat
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The CSEU Maritime Forum called for a national campaign at a time when the iconic shipyards, that had built the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, were facing closure and redundancies because of a gap in orders at the end of the carrier programme.
The Future Solid Support Ships (FSS) contract to build support ships for the aircraft carriers offered these shipyards a lifeline and a bridge to future naval orders which would maintain the skills base and workforce built up to deliver the aircraft carriers. But instead of investing in our shipyards the the Government wanted to put the contract out to international tender putting 40,000 jobs at risk.
So, we built a campaign around people, prosperity and national security, highlighting the diversity of our highly skilled workforce and spread the word that shipbuilding and its supply chain touches every part of the country.
Campaign content was seen hundreds of thousands of times on social media and we generated thousands of letters to the Secretary of State, from all across the country, with a clear call to action – build these ships in Britain.
As a result the international competition was quietly suspended giving hope to thousands of workers and their families. But the campaign won’t be over until the contracts are signed and steel is cut. The economic crisis following the pandemic means that it has never been more important to invest in British jobs and skills and build regional prosperity. You can join us here – https://keepbritainafloat.org
Read our report on the Future Solid Support Ships (FSS) contract.
