Battery company Britishvolt has signed an agreement with one of the company’s largest unions that paves the way towards union recognition at its Northumberland gigafactory.
The enabling agreement between Britishvolt and Unite the Union comes ahead of the company’s plans to open a plant at Cambois, near Blyth, in 2024.
Britishvolt wants to create 3,000 jobs on the site of the former Blyth Power Station coalyards with a factory making batteries for electric vehicles.
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Since first announcing its plans, the company has stressed its environment, social and governance (ESG) credentials and said the agreement with Unite is part of a drive to make itself an “employer of choice”.
Julia Potts, head of employee relations at Britishvolt, said: “This truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get things right, not only for the planet, but also the workers vital to a successful switch to a sustainable future. Low-carbon sustainable battery cells are essential for a successful energy transition, but so too are the people that manufacture the cells.
“With the support of Unite and through the BV FutureGen Foundation the company will retrain and reskill the workforce needed at the gigaplant.”
Steve Turner, assistant general secretary for Unite, said: “Today, Unite welcomes Britishvolt’s commitment to work with Unite looking forward to creating a proactive relationship at a time when they are providing an exciting opportunity creating high quality and skilled jobs for the local area. It is clear that Britishvolt are at the forefront of the JUST initiative, the transition towards a climate-neutral economy in a fair way that leaves no one behind and I urge Government to support them in their efforts.
“Manufacturers like Britishvolt must be supported with an industrial strategy, that not only allows development but also shows global leadership in this area. Unite looks forward to supporting Britishvolt in this new era for manufacturing.”
Earlier this year, the Government signalled that it would pledge “tens of millions” to support Britishvolt’s plans, which led to it receiving £1.7bn from finance groups Tritax and abrdn. It has since announced plans to raise another £200m in funding.
Britishvolt has also announced agreements with sports car companies Lotus and Aston Martin to develop batteries for electric cars.
Graham Hoare, president of global operations at Britishvolt, said: “This partnership underscores Britishvolt’s belief in the importance of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Often the focus is on the Environmental pillar, however, doing the right and responsible thing by our people is essential to Britishvolt and its culture.
“The S and the G are just as important as the E. We aim to be the employer of choice, and by working with Unite we are engraining this. Low carbon batteries will be essential to meet society’s net zero targets, but just as essential, if not more so, are the people that build those batteries.”
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