A trade union has raised concerns around the buy-out
Spirit Aerosystems in Belfast
Boeing is nearing a deal to buy back Spirit Aerosystems which would include the former Northern Ireland plant belonging to Bombardier and Shorts.
A key supplier and former subsidiary, Boeing has made progress with its other chief customer, Airbus, to separate the divisions that handle its rivals’ work, Forbes has reported.
The deal would include the NI plant – which makes the wings for the Airbus A220 – and the former BAE Systems plant in Prestwick, Scotland, which builds Airbus airframes and wings.
However a trade union has raised concerns over the potential deal. Unite said they were seeking assurances that jobs in both Belfast and Prestwick would be safe.
Spirit Aerosystems Belfast employs around 3,600 workers, with Unite estimating that around 7,000 jobs in Northern Ireland rely on the company’s activities in the area.
The majority of Spirit’s NI production is for Airbus, but around 40% of jobs are tied to production for other aerospace companies, including Bombardier and Rolls Royce.
General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “The livelihoods of workers must not be put at risk as corporate giants carve up the future of this company. It is vital that all workers are quickly given cast iron guarantees over their futures.
“Unite will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the future of this highly skilled and dedicated workforce at Spirit is fully protected.”
Negotiations between the two parties to being Spirit back under Boeing control began earlier this year in an effort to stabilise the supply chain and address quality issues after an incident in which a doorplug blew out on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 flight in January.
The NTSB’s preliminary investigation has determined that this blow out was most likely due to four missing plugs which were removed during an undocumented repair during which the door plug was removed and reinstalled by a Spirit AeroSystems worker at the Boeing plant.
Boeing is also expected to take SpiritAerosystem’s plants in Wichita, Kansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma, which would restore the structure of operations before the company divested the division in 2005.