Statement by TUV European spokesperson and South Down Assembly candidate Councillor Henry Reilly:
“TUV has been contacted by a number of employees of Bombardier who are annoyed that the company has issued an email making the case for the UK to remain in the EU.
“There is no doubt that the company has overstepped the mark in seeking to influence how their employees will vote in the most important referendum our nation has faced in our lifetime.
“Some of the claims in the email are totally irrelevant to the EU debate. For example, they claim that one of the benefits of EU membership is that it allows them to share expertise with other EU countries.
“However, even when one looks at the EU funded SENTRY project Israeli companies were involved with Israel contributing its fair share. “Israel is not in the EU. “It is striking that in the email Bombardier state: “95% of our products are exported outside the UK and 33% go directly into Europe”. What it does not go on to say is that obviously the other two thirds go outside Europe! This underscores the fact that when it comes to the aerospace industry, as with so many other fields, the big markets are outside of the narrow confines of the EU. The European Union is a shrinking market. The growth is in other parts of the globe.
“It is disappointing that Bombardier would seek to influence their employees decision at the ballot box. The company is entitled to a view but this is a decision for each individual citizen of the United Kingdom to make.”