Famous Michelin Ballymena Tyre Factory To Close In 2018

The Michelin tyre factory in Ballymena, County Antrim, is to close in 2018 with the loss of 860 jobs.

The decision is part of restructuring which will increase production in Dundee and modernise another facility at Stoke-on-Trent.

The company said the decision had been made due to the "significant downturn" in demand for truck tyres in Europe since the financial crisis of 2007.
The Unite union said it was "devastating news"
Unite's Davy Thompson said in addition to the workers directly employed by Michelin on the site, "there are approximately 500 contractors and many more in the wider economy who now face the threat of redundancy as a result of this announcement".
"These were highly-paid, secure jobs reflecting the progressive employment practices of Michelin and their loss will devastate the retail and services economy in this region," he said.
"Despite great efforts and progress being made in previous years, other European plants are still more competitive than Ballymena."
It said it would release more than £5m to help company start-ups, fund expansion at existing businesses and supply investment to attract new businesses to Ballymena.
The company also said it would be speaking to workers about enhanced redundancies and would facilitate any staff who wanted to go and work in any of its other plants in the UK.