Linen factory jobs axed

Ulster Weavers is shedding 45 jobs after announcing plans today to stop making linen at a factory.

Manufacturing will be transferred to China from its plant in Banbridge, Co Down.

The company will continue to employ 25 people in design, marketing and sourcing roles.

Unite union regional organiser Sean McKeever said: “I understand 45 jobs are to go. It could be very sudden.

“The workers were expecting it with all due respect.”

He said the company, which produces high-quality linen for designers, had lost a contract in the US which was the final nail in the coffin.

SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly said: “This is another body blow to the local textile industry and will be worrying news for many families in the Banbridge area.

“I hope that Ulster Weavers will do all in its power to help its employees during this extremely difficult time.

“I will also be seeking assurances that these redundancies are not part of a wider downscaling of operations in Banbridge and that remaining jobs are secure.”

The textiles industry in Northern Ireland has suffered a series of jobs blows in recent years, declining from 76,000 a decade ago to around 2,500 now.