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Minister to meet angry union over fleet support cuts
Defence minister Kevan Jones has agreed to meet union leaders to talk about the review of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
In October, workers were called to the navy's headquarters in Portsmouth to be told that a value-for-money review would take place - just two years after staff were told they were safe for 20 years.
Thousands of workers have signed a Downing Street petition set up by worried mum Sheena Brown against potential cuts.
The talks are being arranged with the union Nautilus after it protested to defence secretary Bob Ainsworth.
They argued that fleet auxiliary workers, who played a key role in supplying ships during the Falklands war, were being unfairly targeted by the Ministry of Defence.
The MoD admitted that the review had been prompted by the Treasury, who in turn had been lobbied by private firms with spare ship capacity during the recession.
Mr Jones assured Nautilus that the review would be carried out, 'with no preconceived outcomes.'
Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said: 'We are confident that the RFA can yet again demonstrate its unrivalled efficiency and professionalism, but it is important that the ministers understand our concerns about the dangers of taking a simplistic short-term approach to the way the RFA is operated.'
The review has prompted questions in Parliament, to which Mr Jones responded that a number of outcomes were possible for the RFA.
One aspect that may stop the flotilla being privatised is the fact that workers are all reservists with the navy and so can go from being merchant seamen to combatants in a very short time.
By contrast, private workers could refuse to enter warzones, and could be a security risk.
Southsea resident Sheena Brown, whose daughter serves in the RFA, launched the petition against the review which now has more than 2,300 signatures.
She said: 'The RFA has been absolutely critical to the work the navy has done over the past 100 years, and to get rid of it or privatise it would be a stupid decision.
'There are so many roles it plays that normal commercial vessels couldn't, and hopefully that will be considered.'
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Friday 10 February 2012
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