Company that formerly employed eighty-five closes its doors, ending fifty years manufacturing activity on Maydown site

Union expresses outrage at Schivo which has left workers to seek minimum statutory redundancy pay from Department

March 30th: Chair of Unite’s Executive Council in Ireland, Liam Gallagher, expressed his dismay over the failure of administrators to find a buyer for the former Maydown Precision Engineering, rebranded Schivo NI. The Derry/Londonderry manufacturer will now close its doors tomorrow.

“The news that the administrator of the former Maydown Precision Engineering, now Schivo NI, has failed to find a buyer for the company is another serious blow to the Northwest’s Manufacturing base.

“Maydown previously employed eighty-five workers in what was a high value-added manufacturer before it was taken over by Schivo, and rebranded Schivo NI. The site will now close its doors permanently tomorrow ending fifty years of manufacturing activity on the Maydown site.

“The workers who have been made redundant are now being forced to apply to the Department for the minimum statutory redundancy payments. Some of these have given a lifetime’s service to the company – some have been working at the site since 1969.

“It is outrageous that Schivo have not stepped up to the plate in providing redundancy for these workers. This is a highly successful company with interests in the gas and medical sectors in the Republic but it has washed its hands of these workers.

“This decision is the latest body blow to the industrial base of the North West. We have the highest unemployment rate in the UK and more than 24,000 people are deemed ‘economically-inactive’. The Northwest has only 3,500 manufacturing jobs and these were among the better jobs left in the region.

“It also reinforces the need for a functioning Executive to bring forward an industrial strategy with real commitments to securing investment and jobs in the North West. We are also seeking new legislation to protect Northern Ireland employees – it is simply too easy to make workers redundant here”, Mr Gallagher concluded.