Global shipbuilder Fincantieri, a final contender for the Federal Government’s SEA 5000 Future Frigates project, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with key Australian trade unions in Canberra today.
According to a statement by the Australian council of trade unions, the MoU will ensure that the Future Frigate SEA 5000 project produces the best possible naval vessel for the Australian Navy, as well as helps to build a sovereign shipbuilding capability, revitalise Australia’s manufacturing industry and secure highly skilled jobs for the future.
“The significance of the project cannot be over-stated and will inject hundreds of new opportunities for defence and advanced manufacturers across the supply chain, while also creating new skilled jobs,” chairman of Fincantieri Australia, Dario Deste said.
Signatories to the agreement include Fincantieri, Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU), The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), The Electrical Trades Union (ETU), Professionals Australia and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).
Deste said that the MoU reflects Fincantieri’s long-term industrial relations record and collaboration with trade unions across its shipbuilding portfolio to deliver results for its customers.
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“With 20 shipyards across the world, our relationships with unions and our workers are a key factor in our success. We are very keen to ensure that our engagement with key unions is a contributing factor to the success of the future frigates project,” Deste said.
“A stable industrial relations environment is a key component for project success and the MoU we have signed will help meet this objective,” he said.
According to ACTU Assistant Secretary, Scott Connolly, the Frigate program is critical to Australia’s national security, and the security of thousands of Australians jobs.
“This project has huge potential to create jobs and build capacity right across the shipbuilding industry and its related manufacturing supply chains,” he said.
The Future Frigate Program (SEA 5000) is a future class of frigates for the Royal Australian Navy to replace the ANZAC–class.
Construction is expected to begin in 2020, with the first of nine vessels to enter service in the late 2020s. The Program is expected to cost $35 billion and a request for tender was released in March 2017 to three contenders: Navantia, Fincantieri, and BAE Systems as part of a competitive evaluation process.