Labour conference: Union demands fight for BAE jobs

Delegates at the Labour conference have backed a motion demanding that the party fight against almost 3,000 planned jobs losses at BAE Systems.Put forward by union Unite, it says shadow ministers and Labour MPs must put pressure on the government to "defend key manufacturing jobs".Defence giant BAE announced the redundancies earlier this week, blaming a slowdown in orders for its aircraft.Labour leader Ed Miliband said the government must "get stuck in".He met workers from BAE on Wednesday.BAE plants in Salmesbury and Warton in Lancashire, and Brough in East Yorkshire will be worst hit by the cuts, losing 565, 843 and 900 jobs respectively.Research group Oxford Economics estimates that a further 5,700 jobs could be at risk at suppliers and related firms.Unite sources have told the BBC their motion - which was passed unanimously - has full backing at the highest levels of the party.It calls on the government "to intervene now to do everything it can to protect these jobs and avoid this mass haemorrhaging of high skilled jobs which are essential to the future of a sustainable defence manufacturing industry". From / BBC