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The latest wave of AquaChile layoffs follows one made by the company in April. (Photo: Stock File)
AquaChile lays off 180 plant workers from Port Montt
CHILE
Wednesday, June 03, 2009, 17:30 (GMT + 9)
Salmon farming giant AquaChile SA dismissed 180 employees Monday – including managers, office staff and workers – from their plant located in the Cardonal sector of Port Montt, Region of Los Lagos.
These personnel firings come on the heels of others made by the company in mid April, when it laid off 450 workers from its main processing plant. At that time, AquaChile ejecutives explained theirs was a decision based on the dual impact of the salmon infectious anemia (ISA) virus, and the global credit squeeze.
According to Gaston Gutierrez, president of Syndicate N° 1 of AquaChile, the latest dismissals were arranged in agreement with company managers, under the collective negotiation initiated in mid May.
"The company granted an extra bonus of CLP 470,000 (USD 821), and it disclosed that for the time being [Cardonal] would not be closing the plant. We are quite sad after working for the company several years," Gutierrez indicated.
The plant located in Cardonal remained non-operational for two weeks as a result of a fire that broke out and damaged its facilities in May.
AquaChile announced now that "the agreement reached at the request of Syndicates Nº 1 and Nº 2 of the processing plant located in the Cardonal sector of Port Montt, which given the uncertainty of workload as a result of the incident of last 14 May and the amount of raw material currently available, required that a number of workers be laid off."
"The AquaChile plant will not close and will continue operating in the cold storage area and maintenance, since repairs are still taking place as a result of the fire," reads a press release.
Some 65 workers will continue to work in the plant following these latest dismissals, Mundo Acuicola reports.
Related articles:
- AquaChile processing plant paralysed by fire
- Salmon firm boots 450 workers
By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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