NORTHERN IRELAND was dealt a major jobs blow ahead of a meeting in the House of Commons today where British prime minister Gordon Brown will brief Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness and the Scottish and Welsh devolved leaders on the economic outlook for the UK.
The Wright Group busmakers in Ballymena, Co Antrim, yesterday announced that it faces shedding 235 jobs, or one-quarter of its workforce, after it lost a significant order.
In the past 12 months the company announced three orders worth over £140 million (€157 million), including a contract to supply 50 buses to Dublin Bus and its biggest ever single order worth £125 million. Dublin Bus confirmed that its order did go ahead, with most of the 50 buses already delivered.
In a statement Wrightbus said it was forced to begin a 90-day redundancy consultation with staff “in response to a slowdown in market requirements in the face of the current global economic climate”.
“The Wright Group will be using this consultation period to actively explore ways in which it can reduce the impact of this decision and the overall number of redundancies,” the company said.
“This difficult decision has been taken to safeguard the long-term future of The Wright Group. By acting now, we hope that the company will be able to weather the current economic downturn and emerge stronger for the future,” said managing director Mark Nodder.
Wrightbus, a third-generation family-owned company founded in 1946, is one of the North’s biggest employers and the biggest bus-maker in the UK.
Marking the significance of the overall economic downturn in Britain and Northern Ireland, Mr Brown summoned First Minister Mr Robinson and Deputy First Minister Mr McGuinness for a meeting in London this afternoon. The meeting also will be attended by the respective devolved leaders of Scotland and Wales, Alex Salmond and Rhodri Morgan and the respective secretaries of state for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Shaun Woodward, Jim Murphy and Paul Murphy.
A Downing Street source said that Mr Brown would discuss with the devolved leaders how they should develop a co-ordinated approach to try to tackle the downturn.
In the Assembly yesterday, Co Antrim MLAs such as former DUP first minister the Rev Ian Paisley, the SDLP’s Declan O’Loan and Alliance leader David Ford spoke of how the prospective Wrightbus job losses were a serious blow for the company, for Ballymena and the wider area, and for companies that supplied Wrightbus.
And during a debate on the pressures facing small- and medium-sized companies, which comprise the bulk of Northern Ireland business, Assembly members urged Northern Executive Ministers to provide greater support for home-based industry.
DUP Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Industry Arlene Foster said the small to medium sector could be supported while efforts continued to attract major industry.
