Over 250 jobs to go at FG Wilson

More than 250 workers are to be made redundant at County Antrim engineering firm FG Wilson.

The redundancies are to be made across three sites - Larne (138), Springvale (77) and Monkstown (45).

In December, the company laid off more than 180 workers employed through a recruitment agency.

"Unfortunately market conditions have continued to worsen," said a spokesman for the company which designs and builds diesel and gas generators.

"We need to lower our production volumes further to take account of the reduced demand for products."

The spokesman for FG Wilson, which employs about 3,000 people, said the redundancies were "regrettable".

"However, it is ultimately in the long-term interests of our business," he added.

In December, the company laid off more than 180 workers employed through a recruitment agency.

FG Wilson was founded in 1966 and acquired by current parent company Caterpillar in 1999.

East Antrim assembly member Sean Neeson called on the Executive to "put forward some plan to try and get people who have been made redundant back to work."

"Gordon Brown is bringing forward plans for the rest of the UK, so I would like to think Northern Ireland would be involved in his long term plans as well," he said.

Meanwhile, almost 150 workers are being laid off for at least a month at a County Tyrone company which manufactures machinery used in the construction industry.

Fintec said it was confident the staff would all be back working at its Ballygawley plant after the lay-off.