Wrightbus Workers To Stage Rally In Ballymena

Wrightbus staff are set to march on their Co Antrim factory this afternoon.

With 1,200 jobs under-threat as the bus manufacturer seeks a new buyer, Unite is calling for the owners to "hand back the land" to the people of Ballymena.

Talks to secure a new investor are ongoing after workers at the factory lost their jobs last week when the firm entered administration.

The 'Save Wrightbus Jobs' march and rally for jobs and a future will commence at the Unite offices in Ballymena at noon today, Friday 04 October.

Off the back of the Prime Minister's newly proposed Brexit deal, the union reiterated their call for the UK government to act to safeguard jobs and skills and secure a future for Wrightbus.

"Saving the livelihoods of the 1,200 Wrightbus workers is not just a moral imperative but of vital importance to the social and economic future of Ballymena," Regional Secretary Jackie Pollock said. "This community has suffered so much already with repeated large-scale closures and job-losses in recent years.

"Unite feels that the critical obstacle to the prospect of successfully saving the jobs and skills of this workforce of 1,200 is the question mark hovering over the ownership of the site itself. We are calling on the Jeff Wright to do the right thing and 'hand back the land' to the people of Ballymena."

Unite Regional Officer for Wrightbus, George Brash, encouraged attendance at today's march and rally.

He said: "Ballymena stands at a crossroads. If we allow these jobs to be lost then this community and indeed the wider region faces the prospect of post-industrial decline; if we succeed in saving these jobs and this production, then the road is open to an economic renaissance.

"Wrightbus workers hold the key to growth in their hands. Their skills and expertise are vital for the future public transport needs of Northern Ireland and further afield. The renewable energy powered buses that this company were developing will become the new normal – the demand for these buses will drive investment and job creation above anything we have witnessed to date. Northern Ireland cannot simply sit back and watch as this historic opportunity is lost.

"We are urging the wider Ballymena community to join our march and rally for jobs and a future – we need to keep on the pressure to secure a win for all," Mr Brash concluded.



(JG/CM)