BOMBARDIER announced the sack for over 1,000 Belfast workers yesterday, as a portion of 7,000 sackings they are planning worldwide over the next two years.
The Canadian manufacturer has a Northern Ireland (NI) aerospace workforce of 6,000, and accounts for 10% of NI’s manufacturing exports. It said it is cutting 580 jobs from its Belfast operation this year and a further 500 next year.
‘We deeply regret the impact this will have on our workforce and their families, but it is crucial that we right-size our business in line with market realities,’ a company spokeswoman said.
Michael Mulholland, GMB regional officer, said: ‘These job losses will have a massive impact on the Northern Ireland economy as they will see the loss of well paid jobs from the local economy.’
Davy Thompson, Unite Regional Coordinating Officer said: ‘This jobs loss announcement is the latest, cruel blow to Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector. While the scale of the losses reflect the severe market conditions being experienced by the group which has led to over seven thousand job losses globally, heavy manufacturers across the region continue to face challenging times.’
Dave Wiltshire the secretary of the All Trades Unions Alliance (ATUA) said: Bombardiers must be every job, and the trade unions must organise strike action to bring down the Tories and see that the plant is nationalised under workers control.’
