Bombardier move to sell key Irish plant shocks workers
Local trade union urges UK government to protect jobs after Canadian manufacturer of planes and trains says it will offload its Belfast operation
Belfast — Canada’s Bombardier shocked workers in Northern Ireland on Thursday by announcing it would sell its Belfast operation, the largest high-tech manufacturer in the British region, which employs 3,600 people. The Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic, the plant in British-run Northern Ireland is by far the most important manufacturer left in its capital city, once one of the key industrial centres of the British empire. The decision is part of a plan to combine Bombardier’s corporate and regional jet units into a single aviation unit and shed more assets, including its Belfast and Morocco aerostructures businesses. “The announcement will come as a shock to the entire Bombardier workforce in Northern Ireland,” the Unite trade union said, urging the British government to ensure the retention of jobs across Bombardier’s sites. “It doesn’t matter whose name is above the gate, what matters is that we safeguard jobs and skills in this critical industry. Bombardier is simply too i...
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