05/03/2003

Bombardier confirm 1,200 Belfast jobs under threat

Bombardier Aerospace in Belfast has confirmed that up to 1,180 jobs are at risk over the next 12 months.

The move is part of an overall restructuring of the company with a further 1,800 jobs under threat at its plants in Montreal and Toronto in Canada.

A spokesman for the Bombardier Aerospace said: “We deeply regret having to lose valued employees, but the aerospace industry continues to face challenging times and an uncertain, fluctuating market.

"We will be closely monitoring our production rates over the coming months to meet our customers’ requirements. We will also be working closely with the Trade Unions to help mitigate possible redundancies, as we have done in the past.

“The fundamentals of the company remain strong and we must look to the future. We have five new aircraft going into service over the next 18 months and we are positioning ourselves to take advantage of an upturn in the market. It is essential that the company remains competitive and ready for that upturn when it comes.”

Since September 2001, a total of 550 permanent employees have been made redundant at the former Short Brothers plant, with a further 200 taking voluntary packages. In addition 550 temporary workers and sub-contractors have also left the company.

Reaction to the announcement was swift. The former Economy Minister for the Northern Ireland Assembly, Sir Reg Empey, described the cuts as a "bitter blow".

The spokesperson for Bombardier confirmed that there would be a 90-day consultation period with Trade Unions.

(MB)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

01 November 2007
Graduate Skills In Demand
Well-qualified graduates are still very much in demand in the local economy. According to Jean Stirrup, Head of Careers, Employability and Skills at Queen's University, demand from employers continues to rise.
08 November 2002
Shorts halve planned Christmas redundancies
The Belfast-based aerospace company Shorts has said half of the redundancies planned to take effect this December will not now go ahead.
13 June 2001
MINISTERS OPEN NEW £9M BOMBARDIER EXTENSION
A NEW £9 million extension at the Bombardier Aerospace composite material facility at Dunmurry was officially opened on Wednesday June 13. Sir Reg Empey, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, and Dr Sean Farren, Minister for Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment attended the opening ceremony.
08 April 2004
Bombardier announces £33m Belfast investment
Bombardier has announced that it is to invest £33 million in two aircraft programmes at its Belfast plant. The two projects will provide components for the Bombardier Learjet 40, a six to seven seat light business jet, and the 12-19 seat long range Bombardier Global 5000 business jet.
16 July 2012
Census: NI Population Growing And Getting Older
The population of Northern Ireland has risen to its highest figure ever according to last year's census. 1.81m people now live here and the number of people has increased by 7% over the last decade, which is broadly in line with England and Wales. The average age in Northern Ireland is now 37, which is up three years from the 2001 average.