Future of NI textile jobs hanging on a string

More than 250 jobs were today under serious threat in a double blow to Northern Ireland’s beleaguered textiles industry.

Underwear manufacturer Courtaulds announced plans to halt all manufacturing at its Limavady plant in Co Derry, where 185 people are employed.

And 75 jobs will be lost as part of cutbacks at the former DuPont site in the north west.

With intense competition driving prices down, Courtaulds said it had to examine every possible way of cutting costs.

Operations Director Derek Laing said: “The cutting, sewing, and support processes performed at the Limavady facility are no longer cost competitive.

“It is for this reason we have proposed to cease these manufacturing processes within the next four months.”

As the company began a 90-day consultation period, staff were told about the threat and given the day off.

Courtaulds, which agreed to a takeover from US group Sara Lee in March 2000, has been operating in Limavady since the mid 1960s.

It is planning negotiations with unions, chamber of commerce and political representatives in a bid to save the jobs.

Although 160 of its staff in Limavady work in manufacturing, the other 25 work in testing and product development.

One option could be to offer employees an opportunity to relocate to sites in England, a proposal many may find unattractive.

The firm’s commercial director, Carol Burns, said: “It is our proposed intention to re-deploy our product development and laboratory functions currently undertaken in Limavady.

“For reasons of cost, speed to market, and sharing of best practices, we believe there are advantages in linking product development processes close to our manufacturing sources and with our existing research, design and developing teams located in Nottingham and London.

“The detail of this proposal is not established. However, if this proposal is agreed, we would anticipate that the entire process of re-deployment of the development and laboratory functions could take up to 12 months.”

Meanwhile, textiles manufacturer Invista, which has taken over most of the former DuPont plant at Maydown, near Derry, said 75 jobs were going as part of a restructuring programme.

The company employs about 500 staff at Maydown.