Union Unite said yesterday it was outrageous that 18 workers faced redundancy at the profitable Andor camera plant in west Belfast.

Regional officer Jackie Pollock expressed his fury at management proposals to cut jobs at the profitable site.

“This decision is completely unjustified in light of the continued success of the Belfast plant,” he said.

“The workforce at Andor has displayed a high level of commitment to the company during its transfer to Oxford Instruments and this announcement represents a betrayal of that loyalty.

“Oxford Instruments is highly leveraged as a result of its acquisition activities.

“This does not reflect the situation in Andor itself, which remains highly profitable with a strong demand for its products.

“The job losses are doubly inexplicable at a time when the plant is more and more reliant on overtime — just this weekend they have again notified the workforce of a possible overtime requirement,” he said.