Jobs fear at Wrightbus

Fears were growing today that one of the North’s major engineering employers, bus builder Wrightbus, is about to shed hundreds of jobs.

Unite union leaders were called to a lunchtime meeting with management of the family-owned company based in Ballymena, Co Antrim.

It was feared the jobs of up to half the 1,000 workforce were under threat, but a Unite spokesman said the union had been told no details ahead of the meeting with management.

The company is the UK’s largest coachbuilder and supplies vehicles across the globe.

Earlier this month, Wrightbus signed an £11m partnership deal with a Dutch coachbuilder to supply 57 buses for use in London by operator Arriva.

But it is understood that amid the global economic recession two substantial contracts have recently been cancelled, forcing job cuts.

Local Democratic Unionist Party Assembly member Ian Paisley jnr said: “It is very worrying, I have heard there may have to be substantial job losses.”