Caterpillar set to cut 20 jobs in Northern Ireland

Caterpillar is one of Northern Ireland's biggest employers, with 1,883 staff based at three County Antrim sites - Larne, Monkstown and west Belfast

Twenty jobs are to go at the Northern Ireland operations of Caterpillar, the company has said.

The positions are mainly management and supervisor roles and the intention is they will be voluntary redundancies

The US engineering firm employs about 2,000 people in plants at Larne, west Belfast and Monkstown.

In September, the company - which employs more than 126,000 worldwide - said it would cut up to 5,000 jobs by the end of 2016.

It is looking to reduce annual costs by $1.5bn by the end of 2016.

Caterpillar has been hit by the collapse of commodity prices that have affected its key customers in the mining and energy sectors.

Since 2011 it has shed over 1,000 staff in Northern Ireland.

In a statement on Tuesday, Caterpillar said: "These reductions, which include salaried and management roles as well as agency positions, will begin to take effect over the fourth quarter and into 2016.

"Caterpillar Northern Ireland will reduce its workforce by approximately 20 salaried and management positions.

"These roles provide support functions for the organisation. Resources will be provided to assist impacted individuals during this transition.

"We know this is difficult for our employees and their families, but we must take steps to position the company for long-term success."