ANOTHER 900 bauxite workers will be jolted by job cuts in less than two months as the ailing Alumina Partners of Jamaica (Alpart) announced a decision to suspend its mining and refinery operations for no less than a year.

The announcement about the May 15 closure was made in a release from the company yesterday.

Since late last year, the company has sent home some 400 workers.

The beleaguered bauxite, mining and alumina processing company blamed the nagging global economic crisis for the pending closure.

"Owing to the continuing severe decline in the global aluminium industry and the corresponding reduction of alumina demand worldwide, the company will temporarily suspend operations," read a section of the release issued by Alpart.

Temporary shutdown

The release explained that the "company's alumina product experienced a drastic 60 per cent price reversal since July 2008 and the temporary shutdown will allow the plant to be prepared for future developments that may see the industry emerge from the present situation".

In an interview with The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre yesterday, Lenworth Blake, chairman of the Alpart Community Council, said the writing had been on the wall since late last year.

Blake said the workers were hoping for the best, but the global recession left little or no wiggle room for anything else to happen.

"You could actually predict that something more would happen," he said.

He lamented that the effect of all the job losses "on the general community will be very severe" because Alpart employs some 2,000 residents.

Extenuating circumstances

Alberto Fabrini, managing director of Alpart, said that the company took a number of steps this year to maintain the operations at a production rate of 50 per cent of its normal capacity.

Fabrini pointed to the company's efforts in January to protect jobs among the permanent workforce when it agreed with unions to reduce work hours.

However, he said, in spite of those efforts, "extenuating circumstances have given the company no other choice but to temporarily shut down its operations".

The managing director said Alpart regretted the loss of jobs and that the "company would meet its obligations to employees and communities in a timely manner during this period and continue to be a responsible corporate partner".

Alpart is operating in Jamaica under a licence granted by the Government of Jamaica.