Dow Chemical's in Alberta to Layoff up to 11% of Workforce

by Tina Kells | February 5, 2009 at 11:00 am

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Workers at the Dow Chemical facilities in Alberta have been given layoff notices but the company is not anouncing the total number of jobs cut at this time. Previous projections had put the layoffs at 11% of Dow's Alberta workforce, which would mean aproximately 70 jobs would be lost.

Dow Chemicals employs 630 people at its two Alberta facilities, the majority of that number, 550 people, work at the Fort Saskatchewan location. The Prentiss location near Red Deer, Alberta, employs 80 people.

It is unclear which facility will be impacted by the job losses or if the 11% projection is accurate. The full extent of the Dow Chemical layoffs in Alberta will be known next week.

Mary-Lea Crawford, public affairs manager for Dow at Fort Saskatchewan, would not say how many layoff notices have been handed out so far.

The cuts are not expected to be as deep as the 11-per-cent target announced by the U.S.-based company in December, she said.

Dow employs about 630 people in Alberta, with 550 in Fort Saskatchewan with the balance at its Prentiss facility near Red Deer.