Firm defends management style

Bombardier is Northern Ireland's largest manufacturing employer

The style of management at Belfast firm Shorts has been strongly criticised for contributing to a "major crisis" which could cost more than 1,000 jobs.

The aerospace company warned jobs could go after employees rejected a union-backed four-year pay deal - with a pay freeze in the first year - in return for employment assurances.

Trade unions have been seeking a mandate for fresh talks to try to renegotiate a pay deal with the firm, but two out of three unions failed to back this.

Former east Belfast assembly member David Ervine told BBC Radio Ulster on Tuesday that industrial relations at Shorts Bombardier in Belfast had reached an all time low.

You cannot get up out of bed in the morning, go to work with the notion you are going to be humiliated

David Ervine
Former assembly member

"We have a major crisis which is substantially related to the ethos of management within Shorts," he said.

"We have got to remember we are in a global economy. It is difficult to trade in the open market place and companies do have difficulties, but that is not what's causing the major problem in Shorts.

"It is a cumulative effect on the shop floor - attitudes of management which treat grown men like wee boys, that use the threat of loss of jobs for the most basic form of control mechanism."

'Daily humiliation'

Mr Ervine said a man who had broken his hand was afraid to take time off in case it would have been used against him if there were redundancies.

"It is a culture of attitudes within an ethos of management that is just about screwing the worker into the ground," he said.

"You cannot get up out of bed in the morning, go to work with the notion you are going to be humiliated every single day."

Mr Ervine said proper dialogue was needed as the current style and nature of talks was "flawed" because of a "perceived threat".

The company understands the effect that the industry downturn and consequent job losses has had on employees

Shorts' statement

A spokesperson for Bombardier Aerospace declined to put a spokesperson forward to the BBC, saying the company preferred not to conduct its industrial relations in a public arena.

It issued a statement, however, saying: "We offered to brief Mr Ervine on the current very difficult market conditions we face and very much regret that he did not take this offer up before making his public statement in which there are inaccuracies.

"There are no changes proposed in working hours, benefits or disciplinary procedures for our current employees.

"The company understands the effect that the industry downturn and consequent job losses has had on employees.

"With customers being very demanding on price we have to protect our competitiveness. Indeed many of our airline customers to survive have had to reduce their employees' pay as well as terms and conditions."

'Contract secured'

The statement said other Bombardier sites at Toronto and Wichita had already accepted less attractive pay deals than that on offer to the Belfast employees.

It said the offer proposed by Belfast unions and management would have put the firm in the best possible position to retain contracts, protect working hours and pay rates which, it said, were among the best in Northern Ireland.

Last month Bombardier Aerospace secured a contract worth more than $2.2bn with US Airways for a mixture of its 50 and 75 seat regional jets.

It was thought the order would secure the position of the rest of the Shorts workforce, with more than 3,000 employed on the two aircraft.

However, in a staff bulletin several weeks ago, the company said the redundancy programme would be accelerated.

It said the recent ballot result rejecting a negotiated contract renewal proposal was "very disappointing and prevented the company from improving its competitiveness in these very difficult market conditions".

Bombardier is Northern Ireland's largest manufacturing employer, involved in the design and production of aircraft structures and engine covers.

The company, one of Canada's leading industrial groups, is the world's third largest civil aviation manufacturer and a leading maker of regional jets.