Derry factory to shut for four weeks

Manufacturing is being shut down at the DuPont factory in Derry for a month, it was announced today.

The plant at Maydown in the city produces Kevlar and the company blamed the halt in production on reduced demand from the motor industry.

However the 185 workers will continue to be paid and will be called in each day to carry out maintenance, training and on-going improvements, said a spokesman.

Production will be halted from December 3. Preparations for a restart will begin on December 28 with “normal operations resuming on January 1, 2009” said the company.

Philip Oakes, regional organiser for the Unite union, said they had asked about the possibilities of redundancies and been told the shutdown was all that was needed to get production in line with current demand. “They say they anticipate they will get back to normal production after the four weeks.”

However he said given the economic climate it was a worrying time and added: “There could be a knock-on”.