Aircraft maker Bombardier is to sell its Northern Ireland operation which employs more than 3,600 people.
Bombardier operates from a number of locations in Northern Ireland including a factory in Belfast which makes wings for its A220 plane.
The Canadian firm said there would be no “new workforce announcements” as a result of the decision.
The company announced in November that it would cut 490 jobs in Belfast as part of 5,000 set to go across its global business.
Workers also faced months of uncertainty over the future of the plant after US president Donald Trump slapped 300 per cent tariffs on Bombardier planes, arguing that the company received unfair subsidies from the UK and Canadian governments. The US trade commission voted unanimously against the tariffs in January 2018.
1/15 Pork
There will be tariffs on pork in order to protect British farmers
Getty
2/15 Cheese
There will be tariffs in place on some cheeses including €22.10/100kg of cheddar, €19.10/100kg of processed cheese and €18.60/100kg on some blue cheeses
Getty
3/15 Milk
There will be no tariffs in place on milk
Getty
4/15 Car Parts
There will be no tariffs on car parts imported from Europe
PA
5/15 Cars
However finished cars will face tariffs of 10.6%
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6/15 Alcoholic drinks
There will be no tariffs on alcoholic drinks – except on some rums due to ingredients used in their distilling process
Getty
7/15 Beef
There will be tariffs on beef in order to protect British farmers
Getty
8/15 Fish
There will be no tariffs on many types of fish including cod, haddock, salmon and sea bass
Getty
9/15 Fruit and vegetables
There will be no tariffs on almost all fruit and vegetables
Getty
10/15 Chocolate
There will be no tariffs on chocolate or other cocoa products
Getty
11/15 Poultry
There will be tariffs on poultry in order to protect British farmers
Getty
12/15 Ceramics
There will be some tariffs in place on ceramis
Getty
13/15 Steel
There will be no tariffs on steel
Getty
14/15 Coal
There will be no tariffs on coal
Getty
15/15 Lamb/Mutton
There will be tariffs on the meat of sheep in order to protect British farmers
Getty
1/15 Pork
There will be tariffs on pork in order to protect British farmers
Getty
2/15 Cheese
There will be tariffs in place on some cheeses including €22.10/100kg of cheddar, €19.10/100kg of processed cheese and €18.60/100kg on some blue cheeses
Getty
3/15 Milk
There will be no tariffs in place on milk
Getty
4/15 Car Parts
There will be no tariffs on car parts imported from Europe
PA
5/15 Cars
However finished cars will face tariffs of 10.6%
Getty
6/15 Alcoholic drinks
There will be no tariffs on alcoholic drinks – except on some rums due to ingredients used in their distilling process
Getty
7/15 Beef
There will be tariffs on beef in order to protect British farmers
Getty
8/15 Fish
There will be no tariffs on many types of fish including cod, haddock, salmon and sea bass
Getty
9/15 Fruit and vegetables
There will be no tariffs on almost all fruit and vegetables
Getty
10/15 Chocolate
There will be no tariffs on chocolate or other cocoa products
Getty
11/15 Poultry
There will be tariffs on poultry in order to protect British farmers
Getty
12/15 Ceramics
There will be some tariffs in place on ceramis
Getty
13/15 Steel
There will be no tariffs on steel
Getty
14/15 Coal
There will be no tariffs on coal
Getty
15/15 Lamb/Mutton
There will be tariffs on the meat of sheep in order to protect British farmers
Getty
Trade unions expressed shock at the latest announcement and called for stronger assurances on jobs.
“Our members – and their families – have already suffered a terrible year,” said Michael Mulholland, an organiser for GMB.
“After months of uncertainty following Trump’s tariffs they were then hit with the news of 490 job losses, and now this.”
A spokesperson for Unite said: “The UK government must stand ready to ensure the retention of jobs and skills at these sites, Bombardier is simply too important to the Northern Ireland economy to allow anything less,” Unite said in a statement.
On Thursday, Bombardier laid out plans to consolidate its aerospace business into a single unit under the Bombardier Aviation brand. The Canadian firm will also offload assets in Morocco.
While Bombardier did not lay out any impact on jobs, it said that it would “continue to drive ongoing transformation initiatives to improve productivity and increase our competitiveness”, to make it more attractive to potential buyers.
The statement added: “Our sites in Belfast and Morocco have seen a significant increase in work from other global customers in recent years.
“We are recognised as a global leader in aerostructures, with unique end-to-end capabilities – through design and development, testing and manufacture, to after-market support.”
Alain Bellemare, the firm’s president and chief executive, said: “We are very excited to announce the strategic formation of Bombardier Aviation.
“It is the right next step in our transformation. The consolidation will simplify and better focus our organisation on our leading brands.”
