The majority of work carried out at the site involves the printing of cheque books for most of the large UK banks. Workers have been told that there will be opportunities to work in Crewe if they wish to do so.
Councillor Stephen Martin stated: “On behalf of workers at the site, I have spoken twice to Andy Blundell, the Chief Executive of Communisis, following the recent news that his company is to close their Lisburn site. The majority of staff in Lisburn have responsibilities such as young families and mortgages and can’t just up sticks and move.
“I had a lengthy conversation with the company’s Chief Executive who stated to me that the company’s board were seeking to consolidate its operations due to a dramatic downturn in the use of cheques. Mr Blundell stated that due to vacancies in their Crewe site, transfer opportunities would be available. He has stated that there was a higher than expected level of interest from those working in Lisburn at a possible move.
“The Chief Executive stated that Lisburn had always provided a skilled workforce and the closure was not a reflection on the staff or Lisburn as a place to do business. Primarily, there were costs involved in shipping the raw materials to Northern Ireland only for the finished product to be sent back to England again and that for commercial and logistical reasons the company had arrived at the decision it has.
“I have put Communisis in touch with the Council’s Economic Development Team and the Department of Employment and Learning to ensure that there is as much assistance and support on hand for employees to navigate these uncertain times.”
ENDS