Belfast City Council has pledged its support for engineering firm FG Wilson staff affected by the recent job losses announcement and emphasised its desire that remaining posts are protected.

At the council's Development Committee, the current situation with FG Wilson Ltd where 760 redundancies could potentially be made across the company's four NI plants, was raised.

The Committee has now agreed to write a letter to Caterpillar, which owns FG Wilson, highlighting the council`s wish that remaining jobs, particularly in the Belfast and greater Belfast area are protected and that further investment is made by the company in the region.

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Council officials also took part in a special meeting yesterday (organised by Invest NI and attended by other key stakeholders) to discuss the potential large–scale job losses and voice the council's position of working to protect the remaining jobs at the company`s sites particularly in the Springvale plant in west Belfast.

Councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Deputy Chairman of Belfast City Council's Development Committee, who raised the item on the agenda, said: "The major job losses announcement by Caterpillar is devastating news for the hundreds of families who will be affected by these redundancies.

"The council wants to do all it can now to protect the remaining posts of FG Wilson staff who are from Belfast or are working in the company's Springvale plant.

"With the opening of the new E3 centre of Belfast MET, the Council plans for an ambitious Innovation Centre on the Invest NI site on the Springfield Road and the close proximity of world-class companies like Andor, the proposition of Springvale is more compelling than ever. That will be our message not just to Caterpillar but to all potential investors."

(CD)