Bombardier to axe 500 jobs in Northern Ireland in bid to cut costs

bombardier

Almost 500 jobs are to go at aircraft manufacturer Bombardier in Northern Ireland as the Canadian-headquartered company said it needs to cut costs and improve efficiency to help ensure its long-term competitiveness.

Bombardier is one of the biggest employers in the country, with a large base in East Belfast.

Its workers have faced uncertainty in recent times after threatened US trade tariffs placed a major question mark over aircraft production and prompted the intervention of the Prime Minister.

The US relented at the last moment and the jobs were saved, but Wednesday’s announcement that 490 positions will go will come as a bitter blow.

The posts are expected to be shed in February or March.

Jackie Pollock, Unite union regional secretary for Ireland, said: “Although these jobs will not go until February or March, this announcement is a cruel blow for the Bombardier workforce in the mouth of Christmas.

Bombardier plant
The Belfast plant has previously faced uncertainty over jobs which saw the Prime Minister intervene (Niall Carson/PA)

“Unite has feared for some time that Bombardier might be bringing forward large-scale redundancies, but this news exceeds our worst fears.”

Bombardier produces the wings for its new aircraft, the C-Series, in Belfast.

In a statement, Bombardier Northern Ireland said: “Following the global workforce adjustments announced by Bombardier Inc on November 8 2018, we have reviewed our manpower requirements in Belfast and regret to confirm that we must reduce our workforce across the company by 490 employees.

“We acknowledge the impact this will have on our workforce and their families and we continue to explore opportunities to help mitigate the number of compulsory redundancies.

“However, we need to continue to cut costs and improve the efficiency of our operations to help ensure our long-term competitiveness.”