Northern Ireland

Wrightbus to lay off 125 staff after building workforce back up to 700

The administrator of Wrightbus has entered exclusive negotiations with one potential buyer, trade union Unite has said
The administrator of Wrightbus has entered exclusive negotiations with one potential buyer, trade union Unite has said The administrator of Wrightbus has entered exclusive negotiations with one potential buyer, trade union Unite has said

BALLYMENA bus builder Wrightbus is axing 125 staff in response to the Covid-enforced economic slowdown.

It confirmed it will make up to 35 permanent employees redundant, as well as trimming back on another 90 agency staff

The redundancies, which will be phased in, are being implemented "to create a stable and secure future for the company in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic", a spokesman said.

Staff numbers at the firm, at 575, will still be around 10 times higher than they were when industrialist Jo Bamford rescued the business from administration last October.

He insists he remains committed to growing the workforce to 1,000 by the end of 2021 and to increase the order book for Wrightbus's world-leading hydrogen double-decker bus, which emits only water, and for which it already has orders from London and Aberdeen.

Wrightbus chief executive Buta Atwal said the redundancy decision was "tough, but necessary".

“When we saved Wrightbus from administration last year, there were only about 50 employees, but since then we have grown the workforce to 700,” he said.

“Throughout this pandemic, while we furloughed a large section of the workforce, we kept on 100 engineers, designers and sales staff to make sure we can take future orders of buses and work on long-term projects.”

North Antrim MP Ian Paisley said he was disappointed at the decision to lay off staff, and urged the government to bring forward a hydrogen bus strategy "which could be transformative for the wider UK transport sector".

A consultation will begin with staff next Monday, and Wrightbus said it will be supporting staff throughout the process, even if must be done virtually in line with government guidelines.