No one will lose their jobs yet

YARA Ammonia plant workers were promised during a meeting on Wednesday that none of them would lose their jobs, although the company sought to issue retrenchment letters last week. The promise was made by officers of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU).

Sources told Newsday that staff at the ammonia plant met with the union at about 5 pm and discussed the situation at the Point Lisas plant. They were told that negotiations are at a “sensitive stage” but that the union have strategies to deal with retrenchment of the workers.

OWTU education and research officer Ozzie Warwick confirmed the meeting with staff members saying Yara has agreed to continue negotiations and another meeting between the company and union scheduling a meeting next week.

In 2019, Yara announced the closure of its Point Lisas plant. In a release in 2019, the company said the plant had a lower production capacity and was less energy efficient. They added that the plant was plagued by low ammonia prices. The implosion of negotiations between the National Gas Company (NGC) and Yara also contributed to the company’s inability to maintain that plant, and so they ceased production.