Nearly 300 workers at an east Belfast seat-belt manufacturing plant are being made redundant.
Staff at the European Component Corporation factory in Dundonald were told of the job cuts just before they finished for the weekend.
Most of the job losses are on the shop floor and about half of those going are temporary employees.
The downturn in the car industry has been blamed for the decision to lay off one-third of the workforce.
The company refused to make any official comment, but one worker said: "We were expecting to be hit, but not as bad as this. This will have a devastating effect on the local economy because the majority of the workers would be from the east Belfast catchment area."
Union officials are due to hold talks with the management on Monday to agree on who should be laid off.
The plant is one of the biggest employers in east Belfast, with more than 800 currently making components there.
The 296 jobs will go between March and August.