Seagate: Sinn Fein MLA seeks urgent meeting with company

Sinn Féin MLA Raymond McCartney is seeking an urgent meeting with Seagate to discuss job losses at its Derry plant.
Sinn Fein MLA Raymond McCartney.Sinn Fein MLA Raymond McCartney.
Sinn Fein MLA Raymond McCartney.

Mr McCartney said: “News that Seagate are planning to make up to 70 workers redundant came as a blow to the economy in Derry.

“Seagate is one of the largest employers in Derry and has been in the city for more than 20 years but unfortunately, due to global pressures on the technology industry, it is experiencing financial difficulties.

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“Management in Derry need to work with the employees and make sure their rights and entitlements are protected and that they are kept updated during the process.

“I have been in contact with Seagate, both in Derry and internationally, to discuss the job losses in Derry to see what can be done to support the workers and jobs in the city.”

News of the lay-offs emerged on Monday after the company met at the Springtown plant to inform those likely to be affected by the job cuts.

In statement released to the press a spokesperson for Seagate said: “As indicated in recent public statements related to our latest earnings announcement, Seagate is undertaking a number of actions to better position the company for success and growth and to respond to new demand levels within the industry. These new levels are a result of a very dynamic and disrupted storage industry, driven by accelerating usage shifts of technologies and architectures by end users, and underpinned by a weak macro-economic environment. Unfortunately the required actions include some reduction in the company’s workforce. It is not easy to make decisions that affect people’s lives in ​this way, but we believe this is the best way forward for the company right now. At the Springtown facility, approximately 70 employees (about 5% of our headcount) will be affected by this action. It is our intention to use both a voluntary and involuntary process to achieve the headcount reduction.”

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