Thompson Aero Seating announces 500 jobs at risk

Thompson Aero Seating has announced that up to 500 jobs are to go across two sites in Banbridge and Portadown.

It is the second blow for the firm - in March, at the beginning of the pandemic, over 400 staff who were mainly agency workers were let go.

In a statement the company said the decision was regrettable but unavoidable.

The union Unite said the announcement will come as a “very severe blow” to the workforce at the aircraft seat manufacturer.

Kieran Ellison from the union said: “Should job-losses on this scale proceed, it will represent a devastating blow not just to the workers affected and their families, at this time of crisis, but to the economy of Northern Ireland as a whole.”

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart said the impact of coronavirus has “decimated the sector”.

The DUP representative added: "The Government must look more strategically at the aerospace sector given the impact of Covid-19.

“We must ensure that families depending on this sector continue to have their livelihood.”

Sinn Féin MLA John O’Dowd said the announcement of up to 500 job losses, “while not unexpected is still shocking”.

He added: “The global airline industry has all but collapsed as a result of Covid-19. The economic realities of old are changing.

“A new economy must recognise and protect workers and their families.

“This is part of the economic devastation caused by Covid-19 and is the other side of the human tragedy of death and suffering.”