Eighteen workers have been let go by Universal Electric due to the global economic downturn, according to a source.The lay-offs are said to have been expected for a while and are apparently “across-the-board”.“There were apprentices laid off, senior technicians, technicians,” the source told The Royal Gazette yesterday. “There were 18 people being laid off in total. The letters of notice said it was due to the global economic downturn.”Some employees are understood to have received their letters on Friday and others at the start of this week. It is believed the majority are Bermudian.Andy Pereira, president of the Construction Association of Bermuda (CAOB), said yesterday: “It is an unfortunate situation our industry is in.“Lay-offs have been happening for over a year. Now that major projects are coming to a close, many companies are finding themselves in this situation.”He said it was especially frustrating when foreign companies with predominantly foreign staff won contracts for projects like the National Sports Centre.Mr Pereira said it put even more pressure on local companies to find enough work to employ Bermudians.Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Kim Wilson referred to the Universal lay-offs at a press conference.“We’ve all seen the headlines citing job losses,” she said. “We’ve all heard the discussion of redundancies in practically every sector of our community.“In fact, just last evening, we heard the latest announcement of Universal Electric’s proposed lay-off of several staff members. There is genuine concern and unease. All of which are quite warranted.”She added: “Simply put, ladies and gentlemen, the number of redundancies is growing.”Universal Electric, based on Serpentine Road, was set up in 1965 and is 100 percent Bermudian-owned. It describes itself as the Island’s “premier and longest serving electrical contracting company”.The company’s chief financial officer Ray DeSilva told The Royal Gazette he was unable to confirm the lay-offs or comment. “It’s company policy. That information did not come from us. I don’t know where it came from.”It was not possible to reach Universal president Patrick Jones or Bermuda Industrial Union president Chris Furbert. BIU negotiator Louis Somner said he could not comment.* Useful websites: www.universal.bm and www.constructionbermuda.com