Type
Closure
Country
United Kingdom
Region
Northern Ireland; East of Northern Ireland;
Location of affected unit(s)
Ballymena
Sector
Manufacturing
Manufacture Of Rubber And Plastic Products And Other Non-Metallic Mineral Products
Manufacture Of Rubber And Plastic Products
22.11 - Manufacture of rubber tyres and tubes; retreading and rebuilding of rubber tyres

860 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
3 November 2015
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date
30 June 2018

Description

Tyre manufacturer Michelin has announced that it is to close its factory in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. 860 jobs will be lost.  Michelin has said that the site will be progressively run down until its final closure in mid-2018.  The decision to close the site follows the decline in demand for truck tyres following the financial crisis.  The British Chambers of Commerce argued that further job cuts are to be anticipated if the government does not provide greater support for export industries, and particularly those who are manufacturers.  A spokesperson for the Unite union highlighted that in addition to the job losses of the 860 direct employees, the closure of the site would also result in the termination of approximately 500 contractor positions and many related jobs in the local economy would also be under threat.


Sources

  • 3 November 2015: The Guardian

Citation

Eurofound (2015), Michelin, Closure in United Kingdom, factsheet number 85461, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/85461.