Aircraft manufacturer Bombardier is shedding almost 300 jobs at its Belfast plant, it has today announced.
Downing Street has pledged to give those who lose their jobs full ‘help and support’ in the wake of the slew of redundancies.
The announcement comes as the Canadian company is locked in a bitter row with its US rivals Boeing over defence contracts and tariffs.
Recent decisions by the US authorities to impose a huge 300 per cent duty on C-Series jets being sold in the US raised fears over the future of 4,000 jobs at the plants.
Theresa May has repeatedly lobbied Donald Trump to intervene in the dispute in an effort to safeguard the jobs.
Bombardier (pictured), a Canadian-owned multinational, has announced it is making 280 staff redundant
It is unclear what role this row has played in the decision to make 280 workers redundant.
Announcing the redundancies today, the company said ‘Following the 7,500 global workforce reductions announced by Bombardier Inc last October, we continue to review our manpower requirements in Belfast and regret to confirm that we must reduce our workforce levels by around 280.
‘Those impacted will be functional support personnel, including managers and professional staff.
‘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.’
The C-Series wings are made in a huge factory in Belfast (pictured) and Bombardier employs at least 800 people directly
Union bosses have expressed disappointment, with Davy Thompson, Unite Regional Coordinating Officer, saying it is ‘devastating news’.
He called on the company to review what he branded a ‘premature’ decision.
He said: ‘At a time when the unions and the broader Bombardier workforce in Northern Ireland are leading efforts to put the pressure on political leaders to use their leverage on Boeing and the US administration to rescind the 300 per cent tariffs threatened on the C Series, it is very saddening that our efforts are rewarded by this announcement.
‘Unite is calling on Bombardier to reconsider these redundancies and lift the threat to its workers in Northern Ireland at this time.’
Around a quarter of the 4,000 workforce in Belfast work on the C-Series, manufacturing the wings, and unions have been warning of pressures on other areas of Bombardier’s work away from the C-Series.
The Bombardier C Series (pictured) is built at the Belfast plant where workers are being laid off
Recent decisions by the US authorities to impose a huge 300% duty on C-Series jets being sold in the US did raise job fears in Belfast.
But those had receded somewhat when the Canadian firm struck a deal that saw US manufacturer Airbus acquire 50.01 per cent of the C-Series programme. That move will see jets assembled within the US, in a bid to avoid the import tariffs.
Around 1,000 jobs were lost at Bombardier plant in Belfast last year as part of a global restructuring operation. Another 95 job losses were announced last month.
Downing Street acknowledged that it was a ‘very difficult time’ for the workers and their families.
‘The company have said they will minimise the number of compulsory redundancies,’ a Number 10 spokeswoman said.
‘We will continue to work with them to make sure that people who lose their jobs are given help and support.’