Oilfield services company Schlumberger is to cut 37 jobs from its workforce at its plant in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim. Unite deputy regional secretary Jackie Pollock said Northern Ireland was still reeling in the wake of announcements of large-scale job losses across its manufacturing sector over the past fortnight.

“This news from Schlumberger is the latest in a cruel series of blows to workers in the weeks before Christmas,” Mr Pollock said. He added that the announcement reflected the particularly sharp downturn in the oil and gas industry serviced by Schlumberger.

Earlier this year, Schlumberger announced that it was reducing its global workforce by 7.1 per cent, or 9,000 jobs, and reducing costs following plummeting crude prices.