76 redundancies will hit Dorset aviation firm (From Bournemouth Echo)
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76 redundancies will hit Dorset aviation firm
8:00am Saturday 9th February 2013 in News By Katie Clark
REFOCUSING: The Cobham facility
MORE than 70 job losses have been announced by Cobham, one of Dorset’s biggest employers, as the company “refocuses” its business.
The new blow comes just months after Cobham axed 320 employees – a third of their Christchurch workforce.
Seventy-six redundancies are planned between the Bournemouth Airport site and Cobham’s Teeside facility, with the majority of those at the airport in Hurn.
The announcement follows speculation by workers earlier this week that more redundancies were expected at the Bournemouth Airport site.
But up until yesterday, Cobham refused to confirm the rumours only saying CEO Peter Nottage would be visiting employees at the airport to hold one of his periodic “state of the business” meetings.
Yesterday, Cobham’s Greg Caires, vice president, media relations, said: “Cobham today informed its staff that it will cease some non-core activities by its aviation services business, and will focus the business on key customers and contracts centred around the UK MoD and other Government and military operations.
“Regretfully, this will result in up to 76 staff redundancies at our Bournemouth and Teesside facilities.
“We will work closely with our people by seeking to redeploy them elsewhere within Cobham, and by providing them assistance with finding alternative employment.”
Peter Watson-Lee, president of Christchurch Chamber of Trade and Commerce said: “This is dreadful news for Christchurch.
“Cobham was one of the area’s biggest employers and the area has already suffered significant redundancies last year when they transferred work to Spain.
“Seventy further redundancies is a significant blow. Each one will affect a local family.
“One really hopes that this is the last such news from Cobham and that some firm reassurances can be giving on the jobs that remain.”
Christchurch MP Chris Chope said: “Obviously every loss of job is a massive blow but we are still lucky that we have got a centre of aerospace manufacturing excellence.
“There is a cluster of lots of firms and I hope that anyone affected will be able to have their skills recognised in alternative employment quickly.”
Last June, the global company axed hundreds of jobs after losing a massive military contract working on Voyager aircraft to Spain.
On Wednesday, the defence and commercial contractor cut 160 jobs from one of its US manufacturing plants in St Petersburg.
Around 120 of the jobs were moved to plants in Iowa and New York.
Comments(7)
justanoldie
says...
12:44pm Sat 9 Feb 13
stevobath
says...
2:07pm Sat 9 Feb 13
justanoldie wrote:Something I've always pondered?
F.R. has been a fantastic employer for Dorset, many people having spent their working lives in regular and rewarding employment, now is the time to back Britain and buy back some of our utilities, sadly being run by foreign companies, If they can make a profit, why can't we?...
Why can't we Re nationalise some of these very lucrative firms again?
fossilmole
says...
8:45pm Sun 10 Feb 13
stevobath wrote:You are talking real sense but...
justanoldie wrote:Something I've always pondered?
F.R. has been a fantastic employer for Dorset, many people having spent their working lives in regular and rewarding employment, now is the time to back Britain and buy back some of our utilities, sadly being run by foreign companies, If they can make a profit, why can't we?...
Why can't we Re nationalise some of these very lucrative firms again?
Get David Camoron to listent to what you are saying.
He won't do that because all his mates are busy coining it from their activities in playing the markets.
If Maggie hadn't sold off all our utility companies we wouldn't be paying the high prices for share-holder premiums on gas, electricity and other services.
Likewise British Steel would still be British Steel ...not some foreign owned setup that is subject to cutbacks at the whim of those overseas.
DST
says...
9:14am Mon 11 Feb 13
Cobham did not "lose" the Voyager contract - they gave it away saying that it was better for Airbus Military to finish the work.
fossilmole
says...
8:53pm Mon 11 Feb 13
Please ask Mr Nottage when DID he last brief the workforce about 'the state of the business?'
Also ask Mr Nottage why he has spent the year progressively shutting down the support systems at Hurn until he reached the point where all he had left to 'chop' is the technical bits.
And so goes another aspect of our high-tech industry.
fossilmole
says...
8:31pm Tue 12 Feb 13
DST wrote:Cobham were nagged out of the contract by the fact the Spanish part of Airbus wouldn't send through complete engineering packages..or, if of they did send these, parts were missing...or the drawings were held back.
"Last June, the global company axed hundreds of jobs after losing a massive military contract working on Voyager aircraft to Spain."
Cobham did not "lose" the Voyager contract - they gave it away saying that it was better for Airbus Military to finish the work.
Anything the Spanish could do to screw up progress was carried out so they would show in a better light.
So the Voyager contract went back to Spain ...and Cobham bosses just smiled and let it happen.
Mangagers, eh?
jobsworthwatch says...
10:00am Sat 9 Feb 13
I suspect at best Mr Chope, if Christchurch council can make their minds up, these hi-tech engineering jobs will be replaced by part-time no-tech jobs in a supermarket down Bailey Drive!