Concerns Surface Over Bombardier Bringing Job Cuts Forward

South Down MLA Sinead Bradley.
South Down MLA Sinead Bradley.

Economy Spokesperson for the SDLP, South Down MLA Sinead Bradley, has expressed her disappointment that Bombardier have decided to bring forward job cuts originally planned over the next two years. The 1.080 redundancies will now be enforced within the next few months.

Mrs Bradley said: “Bombardier have not managed this delicate situation with adequate planning or consideration and as usual it is the ordinary staff who are being shown the short end of the stick.

“This sudden change of plans means that staff have been hit twice. Bad enough that they had to deal with losing their jobs, but today they’re being told that any time they had to find new employment has also been cruelly snatched away. The treatment of staff here has been shoddy.

“The rapidly deteriorating situation for Bombardier staff is a microcosm of the state of our manufacturing sector in general. With high profile job losses coming seemingly every other week, the Executive must introduce a manufacturing strategy to promote growth in this sector as a matter of urgency.”