Seagate confirms loss of 300 jobs in Derry factory last year

Seagate opened in Londonderry in 1993 and is one of the region's biggest employers

It has emerged that Seagate Technology in Londonderry cut approximately 300 staff last year as part of global restructuring plans.

The US-owned tech business is one of the biggest employers in the north west.

About 100 jobs were previously thought to be at risk at the Springtown factory.

However, company accounts show the headcount was reduced by almost 300 at the Derry operation.

A strategic report filed by Seagate Technology (Ireland) said the company had been forced to cut its workforce "dramatically" in response to tougher economic conditions.

Opened in 1993, the factory in Springtown produces a tiny specialised part for hard drives called a recording head.

Workers at the factory in Derry voted to secure trade union recognition for the first time in January last year, amid growing speculation about job losses.

In accounts for the year ending 30 June 2023, the company said it "reduced its headcount by approximately 300 people with the restructuring substantially completed by the end of the first quarter of 2024 financial year".

It stated that the cost of this restructuring plan was about $17.2m (£14.1m).

On Friday, a spokeswoman for Seagate said the content of the strategic report reflected the company’s restructuring in Northern Ireland.

She said Seagate committed to a restructuring plan in April 2023 to “reduce its cost structure to better align operational needs to current economic conditions, while continuing to support the long-term business strategy”.

The spokeswoman added: “As a result, since 30 June 2023, the company reduced headcount by approximately 300 through a voluntary process which completed in September 2023."