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Unifor mourns the final round of layoffs expected on Sept. 27, after it was announced the Berry Global plastics manufacturing plant in Edmonton plans to permanently close.
“Our members are skilled and hard-working and had brought those skills to work every day building this company. We do not accept that this closure was necessary,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“Suddenly shutting down the plant with little notice shows a true lack of communication and respect for our members.”
The closure was announced on Sept. 11 and the first round of layoffs took place two days later, on Sept. 13. The plant shutdown impacts 58 members of Unifor Local 21-A, who use resin to manufacture and customize plastic films, which are then used for building greenhouses and wrapping hay bales in the agricultural industry.
Berry Global, which goes by BPI Group Global Ltd., is a multi billion-dollar company with 250 locations across the world. The company purchased the Edmonton location four years ago.
While the employer claims the closure is due to a shrinking agricultural industry, the local disagrees given that crop land has expanded in Alberta and there is demand for this type of product.
“We don’t believe when Berry says that the agricultural industry is shrinking, it seems like they didn’t try very hard to compete since purchasing this location over two years ago,” said Local 21-A President Stu Olson.
“Their response to reduced demand for their products wasn’t to look for new business, instead they started to implement multiple two-week shutdowns last year and now they are completely shutting down the operation with barely any notice. From our members perspective, this company have run this plant far worse than its predecessors.”
Olson said members feel like they were a blind spot in the company.
“Berry clearly contemplated this closure for months and even gave the Ministry of Labour the appropriate notice last month,” he added. “They only gave us two days notice for the first round of layoffs and less than three weeks notice overall before the location closes its doors permanently. This has left everyone scrambling to find new employment.”
The employer is not willing to negotiate a closure agreement to help offer the members a soft landing and connect them with additional support services, said the local. They are relying on basic government resources provided by ALIS Alberta to assist the members in finding new employment.
Unifor will continue advocating for its members during this uncertain and challenging time.
