Rolls-Royce in favour of Britain remaining in EU
Aircraft engine producer believes it is beneficial for customers, suppliers and workers
- Company informed staff this week that a Brexit would leave them vulnerable to competition from the US
- Historic EU referendum to take place in Britain on June 23rd
British air, land and sea manufacturer Rolls-Royce has encouraged its staff to vote Remain in the upcoming referendum on whether the United Kingdom should leave the European Union or not.
On June 23rd Britons will go the polls for the historic vote, and momentum for the Leave campaign has gained considerably in the last two weeks, with many polls suggesting that they are ahead of the David Cameron backed Remain vote.
Momentum for the Leave campaign has gained considerably in the last two weeks
The car and aircraft engine maker told its employees that a so-called Brexit would damage their future UK investment plans and deliver more business to their rivals in the US. They have pointed out the uncertainty due to arise as something that would not be healthy for their business.
Chief executive of the company Warren East was speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He talked about their new 65 million pound engione testing plant being a good example of the investments that may be under threat.
“We believe it is much better for our employees, our customers and our suppliers if Britain remains part of Europe. This is because we are a very interconnected operation across Europe. If Brexit occurs there will almost inevitably be a period of uncertainty and uncertainty is what we can’t cope with," East said.
“We believe it is much better for our employees, our customers and our suppliers if Britain remains part of Europe." Rolls-Royce
Rolls Royce employs more than 50,000 people throughout the world, with the vast majority of those being based in the EU.
“We’re making investment decisions all the time about where to place different parts of our operation, and uncertainty created by Brexit puts a lot of those decisions on hold and that pause is something that our US competitors don’t have to cope with. That’s why it’s not so good for us.”
However, East did ascertain that whatever the outcome, they would still exist as a global leader in car and aircraft manufacturing.
“We need to make investment decisions throughout that period, we’re going to be held back by uncertainty, and we could do without that. But we’re going to continue to be a global leader no matter what.”