While workers at car parts maker Visteon in west Belfast were vowing to continue their sit-in at the crisis-hit factory on Wednesday, the Assembly Employment Minister, Sir Reg Empey, (pictured) has been promising his support.

Up to 100 employees staged a sit-in on Tuesday night in protest to get a better a severance deal from former owner Ford.

Their protest came after it was announced on Tuesday that over 200 jobs would be lost at the Visteon Finaghy Road plant.

Last night, Sir Reg expressed his sympathy for both Nortel workers - paid off this week as well - and Visteon employees who have been made redundant and has pledged his Department's support for all those affected.

"We are all aware of the difficulties in the global economy but today we are not talking globally; we are talking about individuals, their families and their livelihoods," he said.

"This is a bitter blow which will have a great impact on the local community and I want to express just how sorry I am that they, and all others who have been made redundant in the past few months, are casualties of this recession," continued the Minister.

"Whilst it is not in my gift to create jobs, I am committed to supporting the individual employees who have been made redundant," he insisted, and said that, in partnership with the Social Security Agency, staff from the Jobs and Benefits offices/JobCentres are providing an on-site redundancy service at the Nortel site this week already.

"This is a service which is offered to all companies where staff are made redundant and my officials have been in contact to arrange the provision of a similar service on-site at Visteon," Sir Reg continued.

"These on-site job clinics will seek to help the individual employees find their way back to work and access re-training or upskilling if required.

"Working closely with management, workers are invited to attend individual interviews to receive information and advice on benefits, looking for jobs, employment, training and further education opportunities," he continued.

The Minister concluded: "These are not the first companies to be affected nor, unfortunately, are they likely to be the last. We must continue to provide support and training opportunities and explore all options to minimise the pain of this recession."

See: Twin Jobs' Fears Revealed

(BMcC/JM)