Michelin, Ballymena: Reaction to news that plant will close in 2018

Workers and politicians have been responding to news that the Michelin tyre factory in Ballymena will close in 2018.

The announcement will mean the loss of 860 jobs.

The factory has operated in the area since 1969.

First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness

Peter Robinson said the announcement is a 'devastating development'

"The closure of Michelin in Ballymena is a devastating development for the workers, their families and indeed the wider Ballymena area.

"The executive will make every effort to alleviate the impact of the job losses and ensure the necessary support is available to those affected directly and indirectly."

Martin McGuinness said the executive would make 'every effort' to minimise the impact of the job losses

"The executive is willing to meet with management, workers, trade unions and all local representatives to see if there is anything further we as an executive can do."

NI Secretary of State Theresa Villiers

Theresa Villiers said the closure is a 'tragic blow' for Michelin employees

"Today's news is a tragic blow for the employees at Michelin Tyre.

"I welcome the support being offered by the company, Invest NI and the Department of Employment and Learning to assist staff in searching for alternative employment.

"I will be engaging with the NI Executive and colleagues in government on this issue."

DUP North Antrim MP Ian Paisley

"The sad news today that Michelin will close its doors in North Antrim in 2018 is apocalyptic in terms of employment for my constituency.

"For North Antrim this means the loss of millions of pounds of wages annually and is, frankly, hard to come to terms with.

"This sees another massive blow to the manufacturing industry in north Antrim and my heart goes out to all those affected."

Alastair Hamilton, Invest NI

Invest NI Chief Executive Alistair Hamilton said they will 'engage with the company' to understand the decision to close the plant

"Michelin has been a significant employer in the area for many years and the impact of its decision to close the Ballymena site is a great loss for the area and for Northern Ireland.

"We will, of course, engage with the company to fully understand its decision to close the plant."

"We appreciate the company's commitment to supporting its employees to find alternative employment with its £5m development fund.

"Invest NI will work with the company and other partners, including Mid and East Antrim Council and the Department of Employment and Learning, to help staff to consider all alternative employment options."

Peter Bunting, Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU)

The Michelin plant in Ballymeena will close in 2018

"This situation was raised repeatedly by the trade unions with officials and with the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment Jonathan Bell.

"And yet nothing was done to avert this catastrophe for the 860 workers in Michelin, the 500 contractors, and the wider economy of Ballymena...

"The trade union movement has consistently called for a manufacturing strategy and the NI Executive and for action to address energy costs here, which are the highest for large manufacturers on both islands."

Unite union officer Davy Thompson

Unite's regional coordinating officer Davvy Thompson said that the news is 'devastating'

"In addition to the 860 workers who are directly employed by Michelin on the site, there are approximately 500 contractors and many more in the wider economy who now face the threat of redundancy as a result of this announcement.

"These were highly-paid, secure jobs reflecting the progressive employment practices of Michelin and their loss will devastate the retail and services economy in this region."

Stephen Kelly, Manufacturing NI

"Coming on the back of the closure of Patton's and the imminent closure of JTI this will have a devastating impact on many families and the local area where one in five jobs is a manufacturing job.

"This must be a huge call to action for politicians, policymakers and regulators to provide a market that can allow large energy users to compete globally and indeed compete internally for the much needed capital to invest in plant."

Connor Duncan, SDLP representative for North Antrim

"This is awful news for a town that has already suffered significant setbacks following the jobs loss at JTI.

"We need to see urgent government action in a number of areas to deal with this announcement."

TUV MLA Jim Allister

Jim Allister said job creation is 'critical'

"It is impossible to exaggerate the devastating blow that has fallen on North Antrim this morning. My thoughts are with the hardworking employees who have received such devastating news today.

"North Antrim must now become a priority for Invest NI. The job creating need in this constituency is now critical. Invest NI must make good its past failures."

UUP North Antrim MLA Robin Swann

Robin Swann said the announcement will have 'repercussions'

"This very worrying news ... another body blow for not just the North Antrim economy, but the entire manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland.

"Michelin has been a mainstay of the manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland for decades. Closure of the Ballymena plant will have wider repercussions for the entire economy."

Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson

"This is an incredibly concerning move and I am worried about the impact it will have, not only in the local area, but throughout Northern Ireland.

"The knock-on effects and message it sends out will be devastating.

"We have to look at how Michelin can lessen the impact of the impending job losses on workers there, with the help of the Executive."

Michael McGaughey, Michelin worker

"There has been talk about it for a long time - with the economic situation worldwide. Everybody thinks something is going to happen somewhere, but you never expect that it's going to happen on your own doorstep.

"It will be devastating for the community - you're talking about the wages of hundreds of people locally that aren't going back into the community, so without that money being spent, it's going to have a knock-on effect on other businesses."

Martin McNeely, Ballykeel Presbyterian Church minister

"We have excellent schools in our community, and it's disheartening to see so many quality young people leaving our town and getting jobs either on the mainland or elsewhere in Belfast.

"We need to think about what sort of jobs we're going to create through a market economy in Ballymena which will retain the talents of young people here, whether it's in software or different sectors.

"Certainly today, the future of our town is very bleak at the minute."