BOMBSHELL AS 400 JOBS FACE THE AXE
Killer bug blamed as aerospace staff set for shock cull
Up to 400 aerospace workers face the axe amid coronavirus cuts.
Mass redundancies will take place at GE Caledonian this month.
Fellow Prestwick firm Spirit Aerosystems also fears having to lay off hundreds of staff.
One worker told the Post: “The reality is that our industry has been among the hardest hit by this crisis.”
Fears are growing this week that up to 400 jobs will be lost at two aerospace plants.
Big hitters GE Caledonian and Spirit Aerosystems are facing huge coronavirus cutbacks.
The Prestwick firms, among Ayrshire’s biggest employers, have been devastated by the impact of the global pandemic.
A trawl for voluntary redundancies at GE has already claimed around 150 staff.
And there are concerns that more than 200 posts could go at neighbours Spirit.
It comes as both aero giants bid to ride the fallout of Covid- 19.
Staff at engine maintenance firm GE have been accepting “golden handshake” deals to go.
“It was a case of taking the very good offer on the table,” said one worker.
“The terms were more than favourable and for a lot of us who’ve been here a while, the writing was on the wall.
“The reality is that our industry is among the hardest hit by this crisis.
“You can hope for a recovery but it’s going to be a long way down the track.”
The GE plant, opened in 1980, employed more than 800 at its peak just a decade ago.
That number will fall below 500 with this month’s redundancies.
A spokesman for GE Aviation said: “The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the aviation industry has been, and continues to be, unprecedented.
“The business recent l y consulted with all employees at the Caledonian site, including those currently furloughed, regarding voluntary severance.
“As a result, employees from across the business came forward to request severance packages.
“After completing all the appropriate and necessary reviews, employees who have had their packages agreed will be leaving the business at or around the middle of June this year.
“We appreciate the commitment of all our employees during this difficult time.
“We remain focused on supporting our employees and protecting their safety, continuing to serve our customers, and preserving our capability to respond when the industry recovers.”
Across the airport runway at Spirit, senior sources say the company is fighting to stop a “heavy loss” of personnel.
“The numbers being spoken about are upward of 200 – maybe even more,” said one insider.
“The order books have collapsed and the reality is nobody knows when that work will return.”
Another Spirit source said: “The scale of the cuts will depend on just how much work we can salvage in the short term.
“But it’s just devastating for the plant and everyone who has worked so hard to build it up.”
Spirit, who have major contracts with Airbus, opened a new £ 22m facility at Prestwick earlier this year.
The factory makes components for spoilers on the wings of the Airbus A320 aircraft.
And its plant also boasts an acclaimed apprenticeship scheme, which gives many youngsters their first start in the engineering trade.
Spirit bosses stressed this week that no firm decisions had been taken on any job cuts.
A spokesperson said: “The global aerospace industry continues to face unprecedented challenges.
“Spirit is continuing to assess the impact of these challenges to the business.
“We are working with our customers to understand current and future demand to establish a new business plan.
“We will continue to make decisions with the best interest of our employees, our business, and customers, and will communicate directly with employees as information is available.
“The UK aerospace industry is calling on the Government to provide support for a concerted and focused approach to restart and recover the UK’s aerospace industry in order to retain world class national industrial capability.”
Central Ayrshire MP, Philippa Whitford, said the potential scale of job losses would have a “significant impact on our local Aerospace Campus as well as the local economy”.
She added: “I have already written to the Chancellor to ask for a tailored package of support for aviation and aerospace, including the extension of the Job Retention Scheme.
“Indeed, financial support could be provided to encourage airlines to replace older aircraft with newer, greener models.
“I have also spoken to some of the local businesses affected and know they are working hard to keep any job losses to a minimum.
“The aerospace campus at Prestwick is home to a large number of high- skilled jobs and it is vital the industry and government at all levels work together to ensure we retain as many of them as possible.”