Local engineering company FG Wilson will retain a full working week for its employees, following an order boost.

The firm said productions levels have remained high enough to stave off a programme of selective lay-offs.

A spokesman for the Caterpillar Corp-owned firm said: "FG Wilson is continually working to have appropriate employment levels in order to meet production requirements. As a result, we are able to take a number of steps in the short-term, including suspending the programme of selective layoffs introduced at the beginning of June across our Larne, Springvale and Monkstown facilities, effective July 9.

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"We are also suspending the reduced working week for operational employees at our Northern Ireland facilities, effective July 20.

"In addition, a limited number of temporary agency workers with specific skills and experience are being taken on," FG Wilson said in a statement.

The firm pledged to keep employee informed of future developments.

Under the lay-off plans, around half of all employees could have been reduced to a three-day working week.

The move was designed to limit compulsory redundancies.

Since December FG Wilson has made more than 600 full-time and agency workers redundant.

The generator manufacturer blamed a marked decline in orders for the cut-backs.

(PR/BMcC)