Almost 3,000 workers across all five Bombardier sites in Northern Ireland have signed grievance

Unite Assistant General Secretary Steve Turner has written to Alain Bellemare, Bombardier President and CEO seeking urgent meeting

October 29th: This afternoon, the workforce handed a collective grievance to Bombardier management over continued outsourcing and offshoring of jobs and functions. Unite Regional Coordinating Officer Susan Fitzgerald said:

“At the end of August management informed the workforce that they were to sell-off the tubing and systems operations (with sites at Mirabelle in Canada and Belfast) to the Lauak group in France. Not only was this the latest instance of outsourcing and offshoring of jobs but the way in which management kept both workers and their unions in the dark on this caused deep-seated indignation among the workforce.

“IT, finance and maintenance functions and now the tubing and systems operations have been offshored leaving workers in Northern Ireland wondering just where next will the axe fall. What’s more workers know that once these skills go they are unlikely to be replaced. Despite assurances by management of a shiny future from new products they are very thin on detail when it comes to retraining opportunities and recruitment.

“Almost three thousand workers, representing the overwhelming bulk of the shop-floor, have signed the collective grievance which was lodged with management this afternoon. The grievance calls for a meeting between trade union representatives and management on an end to outsourcing and to hear the company’s plans for growth in Northern Ireland. In addition to this, Steve Turner, the Assistant General Secretary of Unite the union has written to Alain Bellemare, Bombardier President and Chief Executive Officer to seek a meeting at a global level to seek assurances for the long-term future commitment of the company to its workforce in the UK.

“The corporate agenda that seeks to outsource non-production roles and relocate production jobs must end. Instead the company needs to demonstrate their commitment to the long term future of the sites in Northern Ireland”, Ms Fitzgerald said.