Jobs to be lost at Newtownabbey CDE Global factory

CDE Global has confirmed a number of jobs are to go at its Monkstown facility.
CDE Monkstown. Pic by Google.CDE Monkstown. Pic by Google.
CDE Monkstown. Pic by Google.

The firm, which manufactures wet processing equipment for the quarrying, mining and waste recycling industries, says it is consulting with those employees affected.

A spokesperson for CDE said: “In response to current market conditions we have taken the decision to realign our business. Inevitably this will lead to a small reduction in employee numbers. “We are in contact with those colleagues potentially affected by these changes and a consultation process is currently underway.

“We are committed to retaining as many of our team as possible through this realignment, and will continue to meet, and in many cases exceed, our customers’ expectations.”

The company was responding after concerned employees contacted this newspaper.

One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said impacted members of staff were informed last week that “they’re being let go”.

He claimed: “The majority have been on furlough during the pandemic. A small number of staff are back on site.

“The factory has only been operating as CDE for a couple of years, so redundancy is £500.”

The man alleged: “The impacted staff are considering taking legal action. Many of us had worked at Caterpillar for 20 plus years, but we will lose benefits we had because we switched to CDE.

“I believe social distancing and covid safety procedures could be adhered to with a full workforce.”

Another man, who also wished to remain anonymous said: “I worked at Caterpillar and knew the Monkstown plant very well. There were around 150 employees at the site before the pandemic.

“I haven’t been on the site since March when furlough was introduced. A voluntary redundancy package has been offered of £500 untaxed, any unused holiday and a week’s pay. I have been in touch with Labour Relations. It’s a worrying time for many people.”

CDE Global purchased the former Caterpillar site in the Doagh Road area of Newtownabbey in March 2018.

Speaking at the time, a spokesperson for the company said: “With demand anticipated to double by the end of 2020, this additional facility will complement the existing Northern Ireland supply base and enhance employment in the Monkstown area, where a tradition of engineering has existed for many years.”

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you.