ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Juanita Mercer
The Telegram
In a statement on Tuesday, North Atlantic Refinery Ltd. said it is shutting down to standby mode, but what that means in terms of layoffs remains unclear.
The Telegram requested an interview on Thursday with the union that represents many of the workers at the Come By Chance refinery — United Steelworkers Local 9316 — but was told via email that the union has no comment at this time, and it is still working out the details with the company, adding that the union’s main focus is on “the safety and well-being of its members in these trying times.”
However, United Steelworkers Local 9316 president Glenn Nolan posted a public video on Facebook on Sunday saying the shutdown would start that day, and it would take roughly five days to complete the shutdown safely.
Nolan said the refinery could be in idle mode for two months, up to five months.
“Until this coronavirus gets under control and the economics come back,” he said.
At that time, he said he didn’t have information about layoff notices.
Jette Enevoldsen, chief operations officer of North Atlantic Refinery, said in a written statement earlier this week that the company is “taking the additional actions to enable us as well as our employees to act consistently with the orders, rules and advice of public health officials to further prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”
“While we have no cases of COVID-19 at the refinery, we feel these steps are necessary to ensure the safety of our employees,” said Enevoldsen.
He said the company is looking to adapt its processes to resume normal operations as soon as possible, while ensuring the safety of employees and minimizing risks of returning to work “in this current situation.”
At that time, the company said it was reviewing staffing requirements, and as it implements a phased approach to transition to standby mode, it will have a better understanding of staffing levels required.
Meanwhile, Enevoldsen said product will continue to be delivered to customers and retail locations as usual. He said the company is working with the government to ensure supply and delivery of essential products, including jet fuel, gasoline, propane, diesel and bunker fuel throughout the province, “and are confident of meeting this goal.”
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