Test Valley’s conservative councillors have rejected calls to back Twinings workers in their battle to save jobs in Andover. At Thursday’s council meeting they voted unanimously against a Lib Dem motion calling for them and the two local MPs to back the campaigners.

The motion (see previous story, January 7th) called on Test Valley’s MPs to support a parliamentary motion calling on Twinings to reverse their decision on redundancies and maintain full production at Andover

In a sometimes angry debate, successive conservatives claimed it was not their responsibility to intervene and refused to back the workers calls for a review of the proposals. Instead they committed themselves to the company’s proposals and pledged the council to help find alternative work for those employees discarded by Twinings

I am disappointed the conservative group, like their MP, have chosen to ignore these calls for help. It raises doubts about their commitment to protecting jobs and securing real economic growth in Andover.

The full text of my speech in support of the motion is given below.

Twinings are a highly successful business producing tea at their Andover and North Shields sites. Andover also houses the company’s head office. Their main markets are the UK, Western Europe and North America. One of the major selling points is the Englishness of their product as exemplified by the royal warrant displayed on their packs. The company is hugely profitable making in excess of £56 million last year. The company is part of Associated British Foods who, on the day the proposed redundancies were revealed, reported a 4% rise in annual profits as sales jumped 12% to £9.3 billion. The company’s proposals are to close the North Shields site, reduce the Andover workforce by 129 and transfer production to Poland and China.

I give this information to clarify to members this is not a case of a struggling company looking to survive. This is a case of a highly profitable and highly regarded company betraying its workforce. The success of Twinings and its profits were won through the dedication, loyalty and skills of that workforce. The company now proposes to discard at least 129 of them and replace them with low paid overseas workers. To export Andover’s jobs and pocket the difference.

They argue they need to remain competitive. They are highly competitive - thanks to their award winning workforce. They argue they need to be near their markets. What could be closer to the main markets in the UK and Western Europe than the Andover site? - Certainly not one in Poland. Since when has China been nearer to North America than Europe? How can they justify a royal warrant on goods sold in America when they’re produced in China? They say they are committed to a presence in Andover but the plans for Poland show a site big enough to swallow both their existing factories with space to spare. Their employees do not believe this is only 129 redundancies. No mention is made of possible job losses in local suppliers to Twinings and other knock-on effects. I was particularly concerned to hear from residents in Enham, in my own ward, that jobs there, packing tea for Twinings, may also be under threat.

This is not re-organisation. This is yet another example of the piecemeal dismantling of British industry to satisfy short term financial objectives. This is not in the interests of Andover, nor in the long term interests of the company. It betrays the ethos of Thomas Twining and makes a mockery of the company’s heritage.

We have seen over the past year major financial problems in this country. There are those who would blame these on the present government. This unfortunately is not the case. Successive governments have given in to the demands of a bloated and self indulgent financial sector, ever greedy for more profits and bigger profits whatever the social costs. We have seen the result of this and we now need to say enough is enough.

I note that this council has had meetings with Twinings and other agencies to facilitate alternative employment for those workers affected. This is very commendable but in doing so without comment on the company’s plans we are condoning their actions. We have a duty to those employees to comment. We have a duty to promote good quality jobs for local people. We have spent hours debating just that over the past few years. We have here an opportunity to show we can do this, to defend local jobs and encourage expansion to generate more jobs.

I urge all members to put aside party political loyalties as the signatories of the parliamentary motion have done and vote for the proposal before you.