Kilkeel-based Collins Aerospace plans to lay off 235 of its 945-strong workforce in November as the Covid-led downturn continues to impact on demand for its products.
The aircraft seat maker is one of south Down's biggest employers, and the job losses - which will also impact on 300 workers in the supply chain - will cost the local economy around £10 million a year.
The announcement has been described as a “devastating blow”, and the Unite union says it also highlights the urgent need for Stormont to bring forward an aerospace rescue plan.
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Last month Collins told the Irish News it had "no plans to launch a consultation process on potential redundancies in Kilkeel", insisting any job losses would be restricted to its four sites in Britain.
But yesterday staff were called together and given the news via a Skype call that a quarter of the workforce would go when the furlough scheme ends.
The pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on the aerospace and aviation sectors globally, and air traffic is not expected to return to pre-crisis levels for three years, possibly five years if there is a second-wave.
South Down MLA Sinead Bradley said: “The retention of employment on this site is of critical importance and the Executive and Economy Minister Diane Dodds must establish what actions might be taken to alleviate the impact of the current difficulties.
“We cannot offer anyone false hope, but neither can we stand by and allow jobs that are so critical to the wellbeing of our local economy to simply disappear.”
Unite's regional officer Kieran Ellison said: “Job losses on this scale will be a hammer blow to the area and will mean uncertainty for many other workers and small businesses dependent on Collins for a livelihood.
“While the likes of France and Germany have brought forward multi-billion pound strategies to safeguard jobs and skills in their aerospace sectors, the government watches on as we face a tsunami of jobs losses.
“Stormont needs to step up both in terms of support for aerospace. As an immediate priority, we need to see the introduction of short-time working scheme to enable the continued employment of workers, alongside a training programme to upskill them for the future.”
