Unions call for urgent talks as Bombardier sheds 5000 jobs

The Canadian train and aircraft manufacturer employs almost 70,000 people, including 4,000 at Bombardier Aerospace in Northern Ireland and around 3,500 at eight UK sites in its transport division.

The cuts, which are expected to save $250m by 2021, were announced yesterday in the company’s third-quarter results. Bombardier also anticipates revenues of $900m following the sale of non-core assets and monetisation of royalties. The company further predicts revenues of around $16.5bn for the full year and reported $3.6bn in revenue in the last quarter.

“We have set in motion the next round of actions necessary to unleash the full potential of the Bombardier portfolio,” said Alain Bellemare, president and CEO of Bombardier.

The GMB union in Belfast and Unite in Derby are seeking talks with senior management at Bombardier following yesterday’s announcement.

Unite’s Paresh Patel said: “Unite will be seeking an urgent meeting to fully understand the details behind the proposed job losses and how this will affect our members at Derby and in the wider supply chain.