More than half of the 3,500 employees of Spirit aerospace, the former Bombardier plant in Belfast, face an uncertain future as Boeing reintegrate their manufacturing wing in the aftermath of the B737 door blowout investigation
Airbus is set to take over part of Spirit AeroSystems operation in Belfast, including the wing and fuselage production for the A220 jet.
Spirit AeroSystems is Belfast’s most significant manufacturing employer with 3,500 staff.
Uncertainty remains for the non-Airbus parts of the Belfast business, including work on Bombardier business jets.
Initiated by Boeing, the deal will see parts of Spirit’s business divided between Boeing and Airbus. Boeing is paying $4.3bn (€4bn) to reintegrate its former manufacturing facilities, Spirit will pay Airbus $559m (€520m) to compensate for the fact that the parts of the business Airbus is taking over are currently loss making, including the Belfast plant. Spirit has been in Belfast since 2019 when it bought Bombardier’s operation with help from InvestNI at a time it faced closure.
Airbus said it aims to ensure stability of supply for its commercial aircraft programmes by taking over the Belfast operation. The Unite trade union estimates that about 40pc of the staff in the Belfast operation are employed in Airbus work; about 60pc in non-Airbus work.
GMB Union organiser Alan Perry said: The future of more than 60pc of the workforce who are not involved in Airbus production has now been left in doubt. Aerospace is a vital element of Belfast manufacturing and has a global footprint. Every major commercial aircraft programme in the world depends on structures, components and services sourced from Ireland. The sector is valued at €1.8bn and employs 10,000 workers, including those in sub-supply chains. Today’s announcement is very concerning for GMB members and what the future holds for those working on non airbus contracts. They’ve been left in limbo. We have been clear on the implications of this kind of Boeing acquisition, but we’ve yet to hear any assurances the Belfast site will be kept as one single entity. Workers’ livelihoods cannot be put at risk for the sake of corporate greed: our members must have guarantees over their future. Northern Ireland Aerospace is one of Europe’s leading aerospace regions in revenue terms – this is not a sector where a complacent ‘laissez-faire’ approach from Stormont will pass. We need to see real action to safeguard jobs, skills and the future of the sector. GMB has called for an urgent meeting with the company, along with the Economy Minister, to make sure all staff at Spirit in Northern Ireland are fully protected.
Union organiser George Brash said: “any carve up of the 60pc of the workforce that’s left will not be good for our members, or for Belfast. Our position is clear, the site needs to remain as one entity and intact.“
Michael Ryan, the chair of Spirit in London said in letter leaked to newspapers: “any dismantling of the business would be extremely detrimental to the long-term future of the Belfast business, and by extension, the region’s aerospace industry”.
