More than 170 workers at food giant Olymel are set to lose their jobs in the coming weeks after food processing plants in Blainville and Laval are permanently closed.
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This was announced by the big head of Olymel, Yannick Gervais, on Wednesday and justified his decision, among other things, with the fact that the company could “achieve savings and efficiency gains”.
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The third time in 3 months
This is the third plant closure in less than three months in Quebec for Olymel, a division of La Coop fédérée specializing in food processing.
In fact, in November Olymel also announced the closure of its Saint-Hyacinthe plant, which specializes in the foundry, storage and packaging of pork products. By mid-February, 107 of those workers are expected to have lost their jobs.
UFCW regrets
Workers at two factories in the Northern Crown, owned until 2018 by Aliments Triomphe, specializing in the production of hams, pies and cured meats marketed under the Tour Eiffel, Nostrano and Alpina brands.
Apart from the 12-week notice period, those who are laid off will not receive any compensation, as permitted by law. The end of the activities of the two factories was set for April 28th.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) regrets Olymel’s decision.
Her spokeswoman, Roxane Larouche, said she hoped dozens of food processing companies in the region would take advantage of the sudden availability of this experienced workforce.
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