Some 400 jobs are at risk at Bombardier in Belfast due to the impact of the coronavirus on the aviation sector, the company has said.
In a statement, Bombardier, one of the largest private-sector employers in the North, said it is to begin a 90-day consultation with staff where it will look at ways to mitigate the number of redundancies.
The plane and train maker last week said it intended to cut 2,500 jobs - equivalent to about 11 per cent of its aviation-focused workforce, as the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the air industry deepens.
“We deeply regret the impact this will have on our workforce and their families, but it is crucial that we resize our business in line with market realities in these unprecedented circumstances,” it said in a statement following consultations with employees in Belfast on Thursday.
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Bombardier, which has nearly 60,000 employees overall, said it would book a $40 million (€35.4 million) charge related to the job cuts announced on Friday last.
Bombarider employs 3,600 staff in Belfast.Workers in the North were spared cuts earlier this year after the company exited the commercial aviation market and its decision to sell its stake in the A330 aircraft programme to Airbus.
The troubled company is also in the process of selling its rail business to French train maker Alstom for up to €6.2 billion.
Bombardier is facing the boot from Canada’ main stock index as its share price slipped below one Canadian dollar earlier in March.
Its market capitalisation peaked at C$36.2 billion (€24 million) in the summer of 2000. Today it’s C$1.4 billion.
- Additional reporting: Reuters