Nearly 300 workers made redundant at Shorts

The trade union battle against jobs losses at Bombardier Aerospace in Belfast has been dealt a severe blow with news that nearly 300 workers have been issued with compulsory redundancy, to take immediate effect.

In the latest chapter of the aerospace company’s history, 290 workers, including nine MSF trade union representatives, were issued with their redundancy cheques on Friday and had to return their work permit passes.

At a trade union organised meeting of technical and professional staff outside Bombardier Aerospace two weeks ago, members voted to write a letter to Stormont Trade Minister Sir Reg Empey in order to express their concerns about the future of Shorts.

According to former MSF acting Senior Steward Gary Faulkner - who was made redundant on Friday - Sir Reg had not replied to the letter requesting his intervention to suspend the current issuing of notices.

However, a delegation of trade union staff is scheduled to meet the Minster next Tuesday.

Taken between Christmas and January 18, 480 permanent jobs have been axed by Shorts with 92 people taking voluntary redundancy and 390 issued with compulsory redundancy papers.

In a move which was publicised before Christmas, Shorts announced that by the end of January 2002, 523 permanent jobs were to be axed, in accordance with steps to enact the 2,000 job cuts announced after September 11th 2001.

A spokesperson for Shorts said the 480 jobs losses were “less than the 523 permanent jobs we earlier envisaged would be lost in this financial year.”

In a statement the company added: “It is unfortunate that we have to implement jobs cuts, but it is necessary in order to protect the remaining jobs and survive and grow the company in the future.”

Shorts also said that they expected the overall job losses to be “several hundred less than the 2000 we announced last September, a move attributed to the success of some of the Trade Unions and to some of our customers revising production rates upwards.” (AMcE)