Factory goes to a three-day week

The Arntz Belting factory is in Pennyburn Pass in Derry

Workers at Arntz Belting in Londonderry have been told they will be put on a three-day week in the New Year, a trades union has said.

Thirteen agency workers are being let go due a cut in production at the fan belt firm, which employs 175 people.

Philip Oakes from Unite said the firm blamed the global economic slowdown.

"The company are hoping this action will suffice, if they can this see out full production could resume in March," he said.

"Whether orders pick up again remains to be seen, at this point it's just speculation," he added.

Eunan Friel, who has worked at Arntz for 20 years, said workers are worried about the future.

"People expected some sort of a knock-on effect here because this is the type of work where jobs are being affected globally.

"We thought we would have got over Christmas, and we now have to come back in on the fifth with perhaps a cut of £100 in wages.

"Hopefully things will have improved by then but we don't really have much hope or anticipation of that happening," he said.

In June 2008 company was refused permission to redevelop its premises which led to fears that jobs would be lost.

Arntz Belting applied for permission to build housing and office accommodation on the site of its factory in Pennyburn last year.

The company is a subsidiary of Arntz Optibelt, which employs about 1,200 people around the world.