Siemens has announced the closure of its Aylesbury plant, with more than 80 employees facing unemployment. Less than three months after winning a business excellence award, the company will move its busbar systems manufacturing to the Czech Republic and Vietnam. It is thought the site will be shut completely by September 2005, with job cuts beginning in July.
The Conservative MP for Aylesbury, David Lidington, said: “The loss of these jobs to the Czech Republic and Vietnam shows we in Britain cannot be complacent, especially about our manufacturing sector. The lower wages in poorer countries give them a competitive advantage we can not match. It is therefore all the more important we do everything in our power to reduce the cost of taxes and regulations on businesses in Britain.”
