Fujitsu confirms job cuts in Northern Ireland

Fujitsu's Northern Ireland operations, which employ more than 1,000 people, are likely to escape major downsizing announced by the Japanese company this week.

It is believed that fewer than 30 jobs will be lost at Fujitsu's telecommunications division in the North, while industry sources say it is unlikely that ICL's operations in Northern Ireland will be affected.

The Japanese chip and PC giant revealed that it was expecting a net loss of £1.25 billion sterling this year and confirmed on Monday August 20 that 16,400 jobs would go across the group, with two-thirds of the redundancies to take effect outside Japan.

The Japanese group, which has invested heavily in Northern Ireland, is a major employer in the United Kingdom, where more than 11,000 people work for ICL.

The job losses will be split between a manufacturing facility in Springvale in west Belfast, and a repair facility in Antrim.

Last year, Fujitsu announced the largest ever investment by a Japanese company in Northern Ireland; earmarking a £29.4 million investment to create an engineering centre for advanced communication technology products.

It is understood the restructuring programme could affect the centre, which is expected to create 400 jobs over the next four years.

The centre, which is the fourth re-investment by Fujitsu in Northern Ireland since 1996, is based in Dunloe Ewart's £30 million development in the heart of Belfast. (AMcE)