Hundreds of jobs at risk at manufacturing firms
TWO manufacturers here have announced redundancy plans, putting hundreds of jobs at risk, as the sector takes a major hit from Covid-19.
In Co Antrim, 160 jobs are at risk at manufacturer Sensata Technologies after a downturn in the global car manufacturing market.
And equipment giant Terex Materials Processing has said it is consulting on job losses at its sites across Omagh, Dungannon, Ballymoney and Campsie, which have 1,800 staff.
Leaders in the manufacturing industry have warned of mass job losses as companies plan redundancies before the end of the government’s furlough scheme in October.
Sensata Technologies has 1,058 employees in Antrim and Carrickfergus, although it announced earlier this year that the latter plant is to close in early 2021. Jobs in production, engineering and support roles will be hit in the latest cuts at its factories, which make tyre pressure monitoring systems.
The company said it will be considering alternatives to compulsory redundancies during a consultation with staff.
DUP South Antrim MP Paul Girvan said he was “deeply saddened by the news” and held a meeting with company management yesterday.
“This plant has been a success story for the town providing skilled jobs to those in South Antrim and beyond,” he said.
He added: “During my meeting with senior Sensata management I strongly raised the need for those facing redundancies to be up-skilled or re-trained by the company as part of the redundancy settlement.”
Company vice president Eric
Sorret said the pandemic “will have a profound and lasting impact on the demand for direct tyre pressure monitoring systems”.
“Vehicle manufacturers around the world are significantly cutting their forecasts for the coming years, with global passenger vehicle demand set to be reduced by between 20 and 30%.
“This long-term reduction in market demand has already directly affected our Northern Ireland manufactured product lines and we regret to announce that we will be making a series of reductions to the workforce at our Antrim site.”
But he said the company was still committed to Northern Ireland and would be investing in new products.
A spokeswoman for Us-owned Terex said: “As a consequence of Covid-19 Terex has taken a number of actions to reduce costs, including company-wide salary reductions and the use of the UK Government’s furloughing scheme in order to align the business with anticipated demand. In addition to these measures we will also begin a consultation period with our employees which may lead to a reduction in our workforce.”