Stormont jobs plea

Unite and other unions are calling for ministerial intervention at Stormont after Belfast engineering giant Harland and Wolff announced sixty job losses.

The company is blaming the move – which would see around a third of its permanent workforce go – on a downturn in the offshore oil and gas sector.

H&W stopped shipbuilding in 2003 and has since concentrated on the repair and refurbishment of vessels and oil rigs.

Bosses have confirmed that discussions with the unions are set to get underway soon.

Bad news

Union reps have described the proposed redundancies as “the latest bad news story for manufacturing in Belfast and Northern Ireland” and something which “reflects the recent decline in the company’s order books.”

Michael Mulholland, spokesperson for the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering – representing his own union, the GMB, and Unite – said, “Management will attempt to achieve this reduction through seeking volunteers among the workforce in the first instance.

Minimise impact

“Both the GMB and Unite will engage fully with the employer to try and minimise the impact on our members and will work together to offer necessary employment support and advice services to affected members.

“Our unions are seeking assurances from the DETI and DEL Ministers that they will mandate relevant agencies to put in place a package for those affected,” he added.

“Perhaps involving upskilling, which will mean that these skilled workers are available for the company, as and when they expand their workforce with an improving order book.”

Regrettable

Enterprise Minister, Jonathan Bell, said, “It is regrettable Harland and Wolff have had to make the announcement to consult on potential redundancies.

“I can assure everyone that Invest Northern Ireland will continue to work closely with the management team in Belfast and assist the company where possible to sustain employment.”

According to its last accounts, the company made a ÂŁ9m operating profit off a ÂŁ55m turnover in 2014.

It has a core workforce of just under 200 but at any time can employ several hundred contractors depending on workloads.