Pirate's Cove

Wait till they realize the same thing in the U.S. and Canada

‘Blunt’ electric car targets put thousands of jobs at risk, warn unions

Union chiefs have warned that thousands of jobs are at risk if the Government refuses to water down “blunt” electric car targets.

Unite the Union, Labour’s biggest union backer, has hit out at “punitive” rules requiring carmakers to sell an increasing number of electric vehicles (EVs), claiming they will threaten jobs and place “downward pressure on pay and conditions”.

Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said Britain’s so-called zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate would not alone bring about the changes needed to phase out petrol and diesel cars.

Instead, she said the Government had to encourage demand by reducing VAT on UK-made EV sales for private drivers, while also increasing investment in charging infrastructure.

She said the ZEV mandate, which requires at least 28pc of cars sold by manufacturers to be electric, was a “blunt tool that risks jobs rather than encouraging people to purchase EVs”.

The unions overwhelmingly support Labour, and were excited to support the EV mandates, and are now realizing that this could cause a big problem for workers. Of course, they do not seem to get that the solution is not more government, but, removing the mandates, because it will get worse quickly

A consultation on the Government’s ZEV mandate ends this week and could pave the way for a watering down of the rules. The 28pc target is expected to rise gradually before hitting 80pc of sales by 2030.

Do UK drivers want these? Some do. Let them buy them. Do not force citizens to buy them. Especially since the people forcing this are themselves not driving EVs.

The number of cars made in Britain fell to 779,584 last year, according to the SMMT, which was the lowest level since 1954, aside from the pandemic.

There are similar struggles across Europe, with German parts supplier Continental Auto Parts on Tuesday unveiling plans to cut 3,000 jobs in its research and development arm.

Perhaps government should stop trying to control every little bit of the vehicle sector. Socialism doesn’t work.