Bombardier To Cut 490 Jobs In Northern Ireland

Bombardier is set to shed more than 490 jobs from its Northern Ireland workforce, following last month's announcement of 5,000 redundancies across its global operations.

The Canadian aircraft manufacturer employs around 4,000 people across several locations in the region.

In a statement, it said the staff cuts came about after a review into their manpower requirements, since the restructuring initiative aimed at saving £146million was revealed in October.

Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle has expressed his concern over the news, and said the party is seeking an urgent meeting with company management on the matter.

"This news is extremely regrettable for everyone across the community but particularly for those workers directly affected and their families, especially in the mouth of Christmas," the east Belfast MLA said.

Party leader Naomi Long branded the job losses as "deeply concerning" in a post on Twitter, and said she has been advised that functional, operations and management staff will all be affected.

Mr Lyttle added: "It is important to reiterate that Bombardier workers in Northern Ireland are highly skilled and this news is a consequence of global factors."

He explained that he believes the company, which has a "long and strong heritage" in east Belfast, will retain that role in the future, despite the devastating news.



(JG/CM)