Bombardier warns over 400 job cuts at Belfast plant
Planemaker Bombardier may be forced to cut 400 jobs in Northern Ireland, it was reported today, due to the “extraordinary industry interruptions and challenges” caused by coronavirus.
The potential redundancies were confirmed after the Canadian firm laid out plans earlier this week to lay off 2,500 workers.
The cuts would account for over 10 per cent of Bombardier’s workers at its plant in Belfast, which employs 3,500 people.
In a statement, the firm said: “Bombardier Aviation announced last week that it would adjust its workforce to align with current market conditions reflecting the extraordinary industry interruptions and challenges caused by Covid-19.
“We have now reviewed our requirements in Belfast for all of our aircraft programmes and regret to confirm that we must adjust our core workforce levels downwards by around 400 to align with market demand for the remainder of this year and through 2021.”
It added that a 90-day consultation period on the redundancies would follow.
Wings for Airbus’ A220 jet are made at the plant, which is one of Northern Ireland’s biggest high-tech manufacturers.
Since 2015, there have been several rounds of redundancies at the plant, which was bought by Kansas-based Spirit AeroSystems for £1bn in October 2019.