Business & Tech

Layoffs Planned at Greenlawn BAE Site

Slowdown in defense industry to cost local jobs.

Some workers at BAE Systems in Greenlawn will lose their jobs March 4 as a slowdown in the defense industry takes hold.

The layoffs are unrelated to cutbacks resulting from the expected across-the-board cuts to federal spending set to take effect Friday unless Congress reaches a deal to avert them, said Kristin Gossel, spokeswoman for BAE electronics systems.

Gossel said the London-based company plans to cut about 300 jobs total across five sites, though 200 will be eliminated from a New Hampshire facility. She did not have a figure specific to Greenlawn, which has 700 workers. The electronics division has about 11,000 employees.

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BAE electronics develops specialized equipment for military intelligence, survelliance and reconnassaiance work, such as cameras mounted on the underside of jets.

But the March 4 reductions could be just the beginning for the global company if Congress fails to find a solution to the wholesale, with defense spending scheduled to take the biggest hit.

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"We've been concerned for a while," Gossel said. "We've been very active in trying to convince Congress to act.

"What concerns us the most is that we've already made some cuts and want to make sure that any future cuts are made in a way that preserves our national  security. The meat-ax approach concerns us the most. It doesn't take into account, to make sure we're maintaining our strong security base."

Gossel said that if severe cuts kick in, "we'll lose about 10 pecrent of our workforce" of the approximately 400,000 workers throughout the company.
"What sectors, what businesses, is to be determined. That's why we keep advocating against it."


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