WORKERS at Caterpillar claim management at its Springvale site in west Belfast have withdrawn from the government furlough scheme and have ordered all 170 employees back to work from next Monday.
And last night union officials said they would closely monitor the situation to ensure the manufacturing giant "isn't putting wealth before health".
Staff at the plant - which makes axles and transmissions - were furloughed three weeks ago.
But workers were contacted by the company earlier this week and told shift patterns would resume as normal from April 27.
One concerned shop-floor worker told the Irish News: "There is a bigger risk to life now than ever, yet management see fit to put their workers and their families in danger.
"Who do we listen to - the government urging us to stay at home, or bosses who tell us to get back to work?" said the source, who said he was "scared".
At a meeting with union representatives yesterday, management at the Springvale plant assured workers they have rectified issues around social distancing and shared tooling.
But Unite union regional officer George Brash said: "We'll have people on the ground on Monday to see if the measures put in place to protect our members are adequate and safe."
He added: "If the work Caterpillar does at Springvale was deemed non-essential three weeks ago, what has suddenly changed?
"There are so many grey areas around the government's current guidelines, but because they've been told to go back to work, they must do so.
"But we will gauge the situation on Monday regarding health and safety, and we'll make a call then based on what we find."
A spokesman for the company told the Irish News: “As announced four weeks ago, production at the Caterpillar assembly facility in Springvale was temporarily suspended from Monday April 6 through Friday April 24.
"Impacted employees were furloughed in line with the UK Government Job Retention Scheme for this period. Production will recommence on Monday 27 April as planned.
"The facility operates while adhering to the government’s guidance. Our employees’ safety, health and wellbeing remain our top priority.”
Caterpillar is best known for designing, manufacturing and assembling diesel and gas generating sets and associated equipment, and its main Northern Ireland operation in Larne has continued to operate despite the lockdown.
The Department for the Economy published an updated list of priority sectors earlier this week, but described it as 'advisory', adding that Northern Ireland companies could make their own decisions on calling back staff.
Aerospace firm Bombardier is targeting a return to work at its Belfast sites on May 4, but said it “may begin work progressively in some areas and functions” from April 27 to support crucial deliveries, particularly to external customers.
