Bombardier job losses would be ‘devastating blow’

Around 400 core employees and 200 agency roles are at risk at its Northern Ireland operations.

The Canadian-owned company operates two plants in Newtownabbey- one on the Church Road and one on the Doagh Road.

Confirming the potential job losses, a spokesperson for the firm said: “Bombardier Aviation announced last week that it would adjust its workforce to align with current market conditions reflecting the extraordinary industry interruptions and challenges caused by Covid-19.

“We have now reviewed our requirements in Belfast for all of our aircraft programmes and regret to confirm that we must adjust our core workforce levels downwards by around 400 to align with market demand for the remainder of this year and through 2021.

“Around 400 Bombardier core employee jobs in Northern Ireland are currently at risk of redundancy. The company will be lodging a formal HR1 redundancy notice with the Department for the Economy, following which there will be a 90-day consultation period when we will explore opportunities to mitigate the number of redundancies.

“We deeply regret the impact this will have on our workforce and their families, but it is crucial that we resize our business in line with market realities in these unprecedented circumstances.”

Reacting to the news, South Antrim DUP MP Paul Girvan said: “This is devestating news for the aviation sector in Northern Ireland.

“The aviation sector across the UK has been hit very hard over the past few months. I have joined my DUP colleagues in Westminster to lobby government for better support for aviation businesses.”

East Antrim UUP MLA John Stewart said: “Bombardier provides the type of high quality, high paying manufacturing jobs that our economy so desperately needs and the company is not just vital to the Northern Ireland economy in its own right, it is also vital to the local ecosystem of high tech and aerospace companies in Northern Ireland. Bombardier employs 3,500 people here and they support almost three times as many jobs in the local supply chain.

“We are in contact with management at Bombardier to ensure they receive all the assistance possible and to try to minimise the impact of this announcement.

“We acknowledge that there is a global downturn in the aerospace industry which can only be addressed by a UK wide scheme, but the Northern Ireland Executive also needs to put support measures in place to help the workers affected by today’s announcement.”

Commenting on the development, Macedon UUP Councillor Robert Foster said: “Today’s announcement of 600 jobs potentially at risk at Bombardier is a devastating blow to Northern Ireland PLC and the many jobs Bombardier supports.

“The aviation sector has been particularly hard hit during this current pandemic and this announcement will be particularly worrying for many families across our borough and Northern Ireland as a whole who work at Bombardier.

“Bombardier Belfast with two plants in Antrim and Newtownabbey are at the cutting edge of advanced aerospace structure manufacturing and we can only hope that the down turn in this sector is not prolonged and it can bounce back quickly.

“These are worrying times for many and the fear is the situation will become a lot worse when furlough changes are made.

Meanwhile, union representatives are calling for the Stormont Executive to help safeguard the industry.

Jackie Pollock, Unite regional secretary, said: “Aerospace jobs are high-value added, unionised jobs; they are not easily replaced and they have a vital role in our economy.

“Between direct and indirect employment, the sector accounts for 10,000 jobs in Northern Ireland and 1.2 million in the UK, which is a global leader in the industry. In terms of exports, aerospace is even more significant for Northern Ireland; it’s output is valued at £1.9 billion a year.

“The industry is a pillar of our economy but its future hangs in the balance as order books have collapsed on the back of the Covid-19 shutdown.

“Unless a support package is brought forward soon, including measures such as an aircraft scrappage scheme, then thousands of jobs will be lost and Northern Ireland will lose its standing as a global leader in aerospace.

“I have written to the First and deputy First Ministers jointly seeking an urgent meeting and will seek action from them to defend aerospace workers’ jobs and the future of the sector.”

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