(qlmbusinessnews.com via theguardian.com – – Thur, 2nd May 2019) London, Uk – –
Four thousand skilled jobs at risk in Northern Ireland as Canadian firm unveils sell-off
The Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier is to sell its wing-making operation, which employs 4,000 people in Northern Ireland, sparking concern among trade unions and MPs about the uncertain impact on highly skilled jobs.
Less than a week after trade unions called off industrial action, after Bombardierpromised to suspend plans for compulsory redundancies, the firm unveiled plans to sell its entire aerostructure operation.
A spokesman for the prime minister, Theresa May, said the government did not expect jobs to be affected but the trade union Unite said it was seeking stronger assurances from the government and the company.
In a statement, Bombardier announced the “strategic formation of Bombardier Aviation, consolidating all aerospace assets into a single, streamlined and fully integrated business”.Advertisement
“As a result, Bombardier will pursue the divestiture of its Belfast and Morocco aerostructures businesses,” it said.
The statement added: “Our sites in Belfast and Morocco have seen a significant increase in work from other global customers in recent years.
The Canadian firm has been trying to cut costs at its Belfast site, which makes wings for Airbus, and recently bought a wing-making programme in the US.
Bombardier said it did not expect any “new workforce announcements” as a result of the decision, first reported by the BBC, but the planned sale has raised concern among trade unions and local MPs.
A spokesman for the prime minister said that while the announcement was “unsettling”, the company had a strong order book and further job losses were not expected.
But Unite said it had sought assurances from business secretary Greg Clark that the company would retain its Northern Ireland operation if a buyer can’t be found.
Jackie Pollock, Unite regional secretary in Ireland, said the planned sale “will come as a shock to the entire Bombardier workforce in Northern Ireland.
“Many of the company’s 3,600 employees will be left asking what this will mean for their long-term future of their jobs.
She said the union would be discussing efforts to protect the company’s “highly-skilled” workers with the government and the company.
“It doesn’t matter whose name is above the gate – what matters is that we safeguard jobs and skills in this critical industry.
“The UK government must stand ready to ensure the retention of jobs and skills at these sites, Bombardier is simply too important to the Northern Ireland economy to allow anything less.”
Bombardier said it would look for a buyer that would “operate responsibly and help us achieve our full growth potential”.
It promised to work closely with employees and unions during the sale process.
In November, Bombardier said it would cut nearly 500 jobs, a move that followed several rounds of redundancies and which Unite said “exceeds our worst fears”.
Unions called off a strike ballot at the end of April after the company backed away from plans to make some of the redundancies compulsory.
By Rob Davies
