Terex to cut staff hours as part of cost-cutting measures

SOME staff at Terex factories in Omagh and Dungannon could soon see their hours significantly reduced as the well-known machinery manufacturer continues to intensify a global cost-cutting exercise, WeAreTyrone understands.

US firm Terex – who make crushing and screening equipment used in industries like construction, mining and recycling – provides employment for 2,000 staff across the North, many of whom work in their two largest facilities in Omagh and Dungannon.

In July, workers were told that, due to a downturn in key global markets, the firm would be commencing an international redundancy process to minimize expenditure.

Last month, a staff member from Terex Omagh told WeAreTyrone that the company, through a mixture of voluntary and mandatory redundancies, was planning to reduce the local workforce by almost 70.

It is believed that many individuals have already accepted these voluntary severance packages, a number having already found alternative work in the meantime.

Yesterday (Monday), WeAreTyrone understands, Terex informed staff that the pressures that prompted the redundancy process continue to place a serious strain on operations.

It is further understood that, to alleviate the financial burden born of the declining market, Terex will be implementing a combination of reduced working hours, extended holiday periods, not rehiring to fill vacancies and further redundancies.

It is believed that, starting from next month, some will see their hours slashed by around 15 per-cent, which is tantamount to several hundred pounds per month.

The company are also expected to attempt to save money over the Christmas period by closing factories for longer than usual.

When the redundancies were first reported, it was said that the company were proposing between 100 and 150 job cuts between all its factories – Omagh, Dungannon, Cookstown, Ballymoney and Derry – in the North.

It is now unclear whether the number of lay-offs is still in keeping with those early forecasts.