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ALPART closes May 15
900 workers out of jobs
PATRICK FOSTER, Observer writer fosterp@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
ALUMINA Partners of Jamaica (ALPART), the island's leading bauxite plant, will be suspending all operations in Jamaica for at least one year, effective May 15.
Approximately 900 permanent employees were told by letter yesterday that their jobs would be made redundant, leaving an air of anxiety at the 50-odd-year-old St Elizabeth bauxite plant.
"Well, obviously we feel devastated," said one ALPART worker who spoke to the Observer last night. "You know when you have a terminally-ill loved one, and you knew that they were going to die, but you just didn't know when; that summarises the mood here right now," he added. "Nobody is really surprised but it's still so very tough to deal with."
In a statement yesterday, ALPART said that the company's alumina product experienced a drastic 60 per cent price reversal since July 2008, and the temporary shutdown would allow the plant to be prepared for future developments that may see the industry emerge from the present situation.
In early January, the company cut production by 50 per cent and sent home 250 temporary workers. A mere two weeks after, permanent employees were offered a three-day work week in an effort to protect jobs.
That job-saving arrangement with workers, brokered by trade unions, was to last for four months.
"I knew things were bad, [but] I did not expect it (closure) now. We have only gone two months in the agreement," president of the National Workers Union (NWU), Vincent Morrison, told the Observer last evening.
Morrison said the NWU would be meeting with ALPART's management tomorrow to discuss the redundancies and the future of the company.
"We have no plans to put forward; they have taken a decision to close," said Morrison "We have done everything possible, it's just that we are in a very bad situation."
According to ALPART's managing director, Alberto Fabrini, the company will meet its obligations to employees and communities in a timely manner during this period and continue to be a responsible corporate partner.
Last November, with the ALPART operating at full capacity, Fabrini suggested that closing the company could not be ruled out if the global situation continued to worsen.
And although this week's announcement suggests a temporary closure, the decision is hinged to fortunes of the world market and the plant could very well remain locked permanently.
"I am disappointed in the sense that Government has set up a task force," Morrison said yesterday. "I was hoping that before they made the announcement to close they would have discussed the matter with the task force".
"I guess things will be better when we find someone to buy the bauxite," Morrison remarked with cynicism.
Although they anticipated the shut down, ALPART employees, too, were not very optimistic about a reopening of the refinery after the year has elapsed.
"We expected it, but we just weren't sure when," one employee remarked. "It looks like ALPART itself is going out of business," he added.
According to affected workers, going forward would be a rough period. "After committing your life to ALPART and being trained to work in the bauxite sector, you can hardly imagine another job experience outside the sector," the employee said, adding that all the other bauxite companies were in a similar situation.
ALPART is a bauxite mining and alumina processing company operating in Jamaica under licence granted by Government. It is owned 65 per cent by UC RUSAL of Russia and 35 per cent by Norway-based HYDRO ALUMINIUM.
900 workers out of jobs
PATRICK FOSTER, Observer writer fosterp@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
ALUMINA Partners of Jamaica (ALPART), the island's leading bauxite plant, will be suspending all operations in Jamaica for at least one year, effective May 15.
Approximately 900 permanent employees were told by letter yesterday that their jobs would be made redundant, leaving an air of anxiety at the 50-odd-year-old St Elizabeth bauxite plant.
"Well, obviously we feel devastated," said one ALPART worker who spoke to the Observer last night. "You know when you have a terminally-ill loved one, and you knew that they were going to die, but you just didn't know when; that summarises the mood here right now," he added. "Nobody is really surprised but it's still so very tough to deal with."
In a statement yesterday, ALPART said that the company's alumina product experienced a drastic 60 per cent price reversal since July 2008, and the temporary shutdown would allow the plant to be prepared for future developments that may see the industry emerge from the present situation.
In early January, the company cut production by 50 per cent and sent home 250 temporary workers. A mere two weeks after, permanent employees were offered a three-day work week in an effort to protect jobs.
That job-saving arrangement with workers, brokered by trade unions, was to last for four months.
"I knew things were bad, [but] I did not expect it (closure) now. We have only gone two months in the agreement," president of the National Workers Union (NWU), Vincent Morrison, told the Observer last evening.
Morrison said the NWU would be meeting with ALPART's management tomorrow to discuss the redundancies and the future of the company.
"We have no plans to put forward; they have taken a decision to close," said Morrison "We have done everything possible, it's just that we are in a very bad situation."
According to ALPART's managing director, Alberto Fabrini, the company will meet its obligations to employees and communities in a timely manner during this period and continue to be a responsible corporate partner.
Last November, with the ALPART operating at full capacity, Fabrini suggested that closing the company could not be ruled out if the global situation continued to worsen.
And although this week's announcement suggests a temporary closure, the decision is hinged to fortunes of the world market and the plant could very well remain locked permanently.
"I am disappointed in the sense that Government has set up a task force," Morrison said yesterday. "I was hoping that before they made the announcement to close they would have discussed the matter with the task force".
"I guess things will be better when we find someone to buy the bauxite," Morrison remarked with cynicism.
Although they anticipated the shut down, ALPART employees, too, were not very optimistic about a reopening of the refinery after the year has elapsed.
"We expected it, but we just weren't sure when," one employee remarked. "It looks like ALPART itself is going out of business," he added.
According to affected workers, going forward would be a rough period. "After committing your life to ALPART and being trained to work in the bauxite sector, you can hardly imagine another job experience outside the sector," the employee said, adding that all the other bauxite companies were in a similar situation.
ALPART is a bauxite mining and alumina processing company operating in Jamaica under licence granted by Government. It is owned 65 per cent by UC RUSAL of Russia and 35 per cent by Norway-based HYDRO ALUMINIUM.
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