NORTHERN Ireland faced up to a virtual Black Wednesday as almost 200 job losses were announced in the embattled manufacturing sector.
A total of 100 positions are being shed by Caterpillar across its operations in Belfast, Larne and Monkstown, with 42 job losses announced at Sensata Technologies (formerly Schrader) in Carrickfergus and 48 at Invista textiles, Derry.
The shock news confirms a widening black hole in manufacturing in the north and comes comes on the back of last week's devastating blow that 860 people will loss their jobs when the Michelin factory in Ballymena closes in 2018.
Caterpillar, which employs just under 2,000 at its three bases in the north previously stated it wanted to reduce annual costs by $1.5 billion by the end of next year.
A statement released by the company yesterday claimed current weakness in the economies of "key markets" were impacting on global demand for a number of products.
As a result, it said it would be reducing the permanent workforce by around 50 as well as "releasing" 50 agency workers.
Sensata in Carrickfergus, which manufactures tyre pressure gauges for the car industry and employs around 1,000 people in the north, also said it was making 42 temporary workers redundant by the end of the year.
After increasing its workforce late last year to meet an increase in global demand, the former Schrader Electronics factory has decided to stage a "phased return" to previous numbers.
In a third blow, Invista, which produces lycra at the Dupont site just outside the city, is to seek between 35 and 48 voluntary redundancies according to site manager Kevin Kelly.
Mr Kelly stressed there were no plans for compulsory redundancies at the firm and the move had been prompted by increasing global competition and a bid to establish a "sustainable staffing profile".
Referring to the collective 190 job losses, Unite's regional co-ordinating officer Davy Thompson said manufacturing in Northern Ireland was "now in crisis".
"In the last year there have been significant job loss announcements at Bombardier-Shorts and Caterpillar which shed 140 jobs this time last year, as well as closures announced by Michelin, JTI and Sirocco," he said.
"In total, 2,500 high-value manufacturing jobs have been lost in the last year. The net impact of these losses is likely to multiplied three times when indirect and induced jobs lost are included.
"Those who say manufacturing in Northern Ireland is not in crisis are in denial. The apathy and inaction that have characterised the NI Executive’s approach to manufacturing must end.
"In 2014, our manufacturing sector delivered more than £18bn in external trade but our political representatives have sat on their hands in relation to challenges facing the sector."
The worsening picture comes just a day after American health company CVS Caremark said it was closing its IT development centre in Belfast with the loss of 70 jobs.
The redundancies take the shine off better news revealed in the latest jobs figures also released yesterday which show the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits in Northern Ireland fell by 1,000 in October and by 11,900 over the year - the largest percentage decrease (23 per cent) since October 1997.
