Textiles jobs to go

Overall employment in Ulster Weavers will fall to 127

Almost 50 jobs are set to go at two separate Northern Ireland textiles companies.

Ulster Weavers Home Fashions has said there will be 19 redundancies at its Belfast plant.

The news came as the firm announced an investment of up to £1m in expanding its retail operations.

It said it was part of restructuring of the business, which is part of the John Hogg Group.

Managing Director Ian McMorris said the company's growth strategy faced strong international competition "from low-wage economies in the Far East".

The firm said more than £500,000 had already been invested in its retail operation in Newry, County Down, and a further £500,000 would be spent over the next 18 months on similar ventures.

It said 14 new jobs have been created in Newry.

The company was founded more than 100 years ago

"Any job losses are regrettable, but our growth and expansion remains on track and our increased competitiveness can be seen in the opening of the new store in Newry," said Mr McMorris.

"We operate in a highly competitive international market place and we have a responsibility to remain competitive and ensure we have a thriving indigenous business."

The loss of the 19 production staff jobs in Belfast means the overall employment in Ulster Weavers falls to 127.

In a separate development, 30 people at Frazer and Haughton in Cullybackey in County Antrim are to lose their jobs when the factory closes at the end of April.

The firm said it was because of the continuing and persistent downturn in the UK textile trade and the present difficult trading conditions in the United States.

The jobs loss announcements came after an east Belfast stationery said more than 100 jobs were to go at its plant.

A representative of the GPMU trade union met management of Victor Stationery on Thursday and confirmed the production was being relocated to Estonia.

It is thought some of the workforce could be unemployed in four to six weeks.

'Administration and IT'

The company, founded more than 100 years ago and based at Marshalls Road in the Castlereagh area, is one of Europe's largest producers of paper notebooks.

It is also the UK's largest manufacturer of school exercise books, turning out almost 100m a year.

The union said the company had struggled against east European competition and it was a choice between re-location or closure.

The company has so far declined to comment.

It is understood a head office, dealing largely with administration and IT, will remain in Belfast.

Union leaders said they were aware the company had been facing difficult trading conditions for some time.

They said they hope to have further meetings with management in the near future to discuss the implications of the decision.