Courtaulds redundancies mirrors industry decline

News of 68 redundancies at the Courtaulds Lingerie factory in Limavady, Co Derry, confirms the continuing decline of Northern Ireland's clothing and textiles industry.

More than 400 people are employed in the plant, but Courtaulds has said cutbacks are essential to secure the futures of the remaining workers. Forty-eight jobs will go altogether, while another 20 will be transferred to Nottingham.

Courtaulds, owned by the US company Sara Lee, was once a major employer in Northern Ireland with a workforce of more than 2,000. But recently its fortunes have mirrored those of the Northern Ireland clothing and textiles sector.

In 1998 it closed its plants in Cookstown and Plumbridge in Co Tyrone, and in Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh. Then last year it shut its factory in Markethill, Co Armagh, losing 116 jobs. Only last month, it said it would close its factory in Portadown, Co Armagh, shedding 137 jobs. It cited increased competition and rising availability of cheap imports for the move.

The fate of 40 workers from the Markethill plant illustrates the insecurity of work within the sector. They later found work in the Warners lingerie factory in nearby Keady, but were paid off for a second time less than two months later. Shortly afterwards, Warners, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warnaco, one of the largest fashion firms in the US, laid off another 38 staff.

The Institute of Directors has already warned that Northern Ireland's textile and clothing sector is in "inexorable decline" following a series of closures and redundancies.

Even its biggest clothing manufacturer, Desmond & Sons, is not immune. Last October it said it would close its Enniskillen factory, losing 135 jobs. Twenty workers at another Desmond's factory in Claudy, Co Derry, were offered voluntary redundancy. The firm blamed market pressures for the decision. It said that to remain competitive it had to bring "production capacity into line with current and predicted order levels".

Desmonds has had to cut back following a decline in orders from its sole customer, Marks & Spencer. More than 2,500 people are still employed at eight factories across Northern Ireland, but in the last two years the firm has had to shed 224 jobs at its plants in Magherafelt, Swatragh and Irvinestown.

Mr Alan Elliott, the northwest regional organiser of the GMB union, criticised politicians for "twiddling their thumbs. . . The GMB have been constantly telling politicians and Government that a disaster is unfolding in front of their eyes."