BARROW and Furness MP John Woodcock has called for a meeting with BAE bosses after workers said it was “a disgrace” that huge sections of Astute-class submarines were being made by other shipyards.

Monday saw the latest delivery of sections of the superstructure for the sixth Astute-class submarine – the stern and conning tower - which form part of the outer body of the boat.

The Evening Mail understands BAE Systems is now subcontracting the construction of a number of major elements of the final two Astute boats to compensate for a skills shortage in Barrow while cutting costs and preparing for the mammoth task the yard will face in building the Successor-class submarines.

READ MORE: Large submarine sections travel through Barrow

Work is understood to be gearing up ahead of a government investment expected later this year, possibly as early as September, to allow the yard to begin building a new fleet of four submarines to replace the nuclear missile-carrying Vanguard boats.

READ MORE: Government set to award £1bn to Barrow shipyard and Rolls-Royce

Sources have said that the superstructures of boats six and seven are being constructed in the North East.

The two main bulkheads apart from the reactor bulkheads are believed to come from Northern Ireland while the command deck module is made in Liverpool.

The shipyard in Barrow relies on its supply chain in a relationship which is mutually beneficial - latest figures indicate that the submarine programme injected £4.4bn into the UK economy between 2000 and 2011 through its use of more than 1,300 sub-contractors.

But sub-contracting the construction of the submarine’s superstructure – the outer shell – has been criticised by some shipyard workers, with some claiming it is a money-making move and an attempt to mitigate a shortage of skills in the yard.

Others believe it undermines the argument that Barrow is home to the only shipyard capable of building Royal Navy submarines and it raises questions about how the Successor programme will be executed.

One shipyard worker, who has been employed in Barrow for more than 30 years, described the move as “a disgrace” and said a similar situation developed during construction of the Vanguard-class submarines during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He said: “The company says it’s to free up the skill shortage we have and to help other yards. It’s a disgrace.”

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock, who led a cross-party campaign to encourage MPs to vote last month in favour of the replacement of the Royal Navy’s Canguard-class submarines which carry nuclear weapons, has since called for a meeting with shipyard bosses.

He told the Evening Mail: “I am currently having a summer holiday at home with my kids and will be seeking a briefing from BAE on projected work share as soon as I am back.

“There are serious calls to be made in the years ahead but it is important to keep this in perspective.

“There are 7,000 people employed in the yard and that will keep rising no matter what, after the landmark vote in the House of Commons last month.”

A spokesperson from BAE Systems Submarines said: “We flex our sub-contracting arrangements to suit the demands of our submarine programmes.

“We have operated in this way since the Vanguard class was built in the 1980s and will continue to do so.

“Our future submarine programme has meant that we have grown our workforce by 3,300 over the last six years and we will continue to grow.”

An MOD spokesperson said: “While some outsourcing takes place for sensible reasons, Barrow is the home of UK submarine-building, where the vast majority of work takes place and where skilled staff deliver world-class technology.”

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