Ulster Unionist MLAs, Andy Allen MBE, Robbie Butler and Alan Chambers attended a rally on Tuesday in support of the workers at Harland & Wolff Shipyard.

Following the rally, Andy Allen MBE MLA said:

“There is a very narrow window of opportunity to save workers` jobs at the Harland & Wolff shipyard. In the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly, we want the Prime Minister and his Government to use whatever influence they can to save the livelihoods of the workers and their families. I met the workers outside the gates of the yard earlier today and again at the rally, and they are absolutely determined to see this through. Fair play to them for putting this front and centre in the media. The Ulster Unionist Party will do all we can to support them in securing the long-term future of the shipyard. 

“The UK needs strategic shipbuilding and fabrication capacity which makes a very strong case for retaining the shipyard. It is in our country`s long term strategic interests to do all that we can to ensure that Harland & Wolff survives. We cannot afford to allow the shipyard or its facilities to go to the wall.

“Last week we wrote to the Prime Minister, Invest NI and the Permanent Secretaries at the Departments for Finance and the Economy seeking urgent help for the shipyard. We will continue to lobby at the highest levels of government to ensure everything is done to deliver a brighter future for the shipyard and its workers.

“It`s a dereliction of duty that there is no Assembly in place to help deal with this, so it means that the future of the yard is very much in the hands of the Government, Invest NI and other NI Departments. It is imperative that they step up to the mark in the absence of a functioning Assembly and Executive.”