Committee struck to help Brunswick Smelter employees through closure

The provincial government has created a transition adjustment committee to help the 420 Brunswick Smelter employees who will lose their jobs when the plant in Belledune closes at the end of the year..

The committee will provide employment support for the affected workers but also concentrate on economic development opportunities for the northern New Brunswick village and the rest of the region, said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder.

The smelter has operated for 53 years, providing direct and indirect jobs in the area, and the loss is "devastating," Holder said in a statement Wednesday.

Glencore Canada Corp. announced the closure last week. The decision is unrelated to the six-month contract dispute with its unionized employees, who represent more than half of its workforce, officials said. 

The smelter hasn't been profitable for three years, losing an average of $30 million per year, they said.

The committee's membership will be finalized "in the coming days" and then discussions will begin, said Holder.

A meeting between government officials and community stakeholders is also scheduled for Friday.

"Working through this challenge will require partnerships" and a collaborative approach, said Holder.

"Everyone involved has the same commitment, which is to bring forward ideas to support these workers, their families and the community."

The committee stems from last week's meeting in Belledune involving Holder, Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Robert Gauvin, Environment and Local Government Minister Jeff Carr, representatives from the steelworkers union, business leaders, the mayors of Belledune and Atholville and local members of the legislature.

Glencore has said it will offer some employees work at other facilities in other provinces or other countries.

The United Steelworkers union has said it hopes many of the employees will qualify for early retirement and severance packages, the details of which have not yet been finalized.

The smelter marks the third major plant closure in the Chaleur region in the past 15 years, resulting in a total loss of roughly 2,000 well-paying trades jobs.

Officials are hoping to ward off significant declines in the population and tax base.