Caterpillar seeks redundancies in Larne and Monkstown

The US corporation told its workforce this afternoon that it will begin consultations regarding 30 proposed voluntary redundancies in Monkstown and 20 at the Larne plant.

The generator manufacturer has said it will be consulting with employees and their representatives to effect the job losses, which Caterpillar says are needed “due to weaknesses in the economies of some key markets”.

Caterpillar NI’s workforce numbers around 2,000.

A spokesman for the firm said management will be “working with employees and their representatives to try to minimise the numbers impacted”.

They have given employees an indication that the proposed redundancies will entrail include 20 from Larne, 30 from Monkstown and 15 from Springvale, Belfast. Caterpillar also announced that an unspecified number of temporary agency workers will be leaving the company over the next few months. The Unite union has claimed that 75 agency workers are involved.

A statement issued to employees today read: “Current weaknesses in the economies of some key markets are impacting on demand for some of our products. The company is therefore taking appropriate measures during this time to help ensure the competitiveness of the business. We will continue to closely monitor the economic environment and will continue to communicate with employees.”