Islanders battle to save defence contract jobs
ISLANDERS were last night vowing to fight to save jobs in some of Scotland's most fragile communities.
The people of Benbecula and North and South Uist in the Western Isles last night vowed to stop a Ministry of Defence contractor automating the islands' missile testing range, their only major employer
QinetiQ, part of a US-owned defence multinational, plans to axe up to 125 posts on the islands and on St Kilda, more than 40 miles to their west. The firm accounts for nine out of ten well-paid jobs for the 4,500 people of Benbecula and the two Uists.
Huw Francis, chief executive of Stras Uibhist, the community-run landowner on South Uist, said:
"If you're not working for QinetiQ, then you're not working, so a lot of people will leave."
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Monday 13 February 2012
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