77 jobs to go at automotive supplier AVX from its Coleraine plant

By Q Radio News

77 jobs are to be cut at AVX from their Coleraine base.

The plant is part of the American based automotive supplier with the redundancies threatening to cut one third of its local workforce.

Liam Gallagher, Unite Regional Officer for workers at AVX expressed his dismay after the company provided his union with a HR1 notification for 77 redundancies on its TTP production line in its plant in Coleraine.

“This news will be devastating news for the 77 workers and their families. AVX is one of the few remaining manufacturers in Coleraine and the reduction of their workforce by one third will come as a significant blow to the North West economy.

"AVX has been producing electrical capacitors for the automotive industry here for fifty years.

“Unite has been working with the Company through furlough and flexi-furlough since last November to protect the TTP product line.

"The company had established a second production facility in Penang, Malaysia which was taking away jobs but the downturn in demand in the sector for these components was the last straw.

“Redundancy negotiations begin on Monday [September 7th] and our priority will be to mitigate against the impact on our members through redeployment within the company and facilitating workers who would like to take voluntary redundancy.

“We can ill afford to lose more jobs in this area, and manufacturing jobs in particular are essential to sustain jobs in other sectors. Workers are facing into a bleak and uncertain time and its clear that there is absolutely no strategy emerging from Stormont or Westminster to save manufacturing jobs or outline a ‘post covid’ recovery plan.

"The likelihood is that initial shock will become anger as job losses turn into long term unemployment”, Mr Gallagher said.

These redundancies are one is a series made over recent months, partly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Job losses have been made at companies including Eason's, Thompson Aero Seating, Bombardier and Collins Aerospace.