Workers gather to hear councillors agree to write to Prime Minister and EU Trade Commissioner to demand real action

#backBombardier campaign motion will be raised at meetings at another three councils in the coming month

Susan Fitzgerald, Unite Regional Industrial Officer, was among a group of Bombardier workers outside Ballymena Town Hall last night to demand Mid and East Antrim Borough councillors vote in support of Unite’s campaign to defend jobs at skills at the company’s five sites in Northern Ireland.

“More than four thousand jobs are at risk from the punitive 300% tariffs threatened to be levied on Bombardier’s C Series by the protectionist Trump administration.

“Import surcharges on this scale pose an existential threat to Bombardier and the loss of jobs on this scale would be devastating for the Northern Ireland economy – affecting every single council area in the region. More than 550 Bombardier workers live in Mid & East Antrim and two major suppliers, Aerospace Metal Finishers Ltd and Dontaur Engineering Ltd, are based in Ballymena.

“Despite Airbus’ recent acquisition of a majority stake in the C Series programme there are absolutely no guarantees for local jobs should these tariffs be imposed. That’s why we need to see urgent action taken by the Prime Minister and EU Trade Commissioner.

“The UK is the second biggest export market for Boeing, the US competitor who demanded these tariffs be imposed. The Prime Minister must use this leverage to demand they drop their baseless case threatening Bombardier jobs. The EU also has a role to play in defence of the Bombardier workers.

“Last night, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council unanimously agreed to write to both Prime Minister and EU Trade Commissioner to demand they take real action. This is now the second council to endorse the campaign demands following on from a vote at Ards & North Down in October.

“Unite will be taking our motion out to all eleven councils, three more in the next month – we are not going to let up until we secure the action needed to safeguard these jobs”, Ms Fitzgerald said.