More than 170 workers at food giant Olymel will lose their jobs in the next few weeks following the permanent closure of food processing plants in Blainville and Laval.
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The big boss of Olymel, Yannick Gervais, made the announcement on Wednesday, justifying his decision, among other things, by the fact that it would allow the company “to achieve savings and efficiency gains”.
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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, Olymel also announced in November the closure of its Saint-Hyacinthe plant, which specializes in foundry, storage and packaging of pork products. By mid-February, 107 of these workers are expected to have lost their jobs.
UFCW regrets
Workers at two factories in the northern crown, formerly owned by Aliments Triomphe until 2018, specialized in the production of hams, pâtés and charcuterie, marketed under the Tour Eiffel, Nostrano and Alpina brands.
In addition to 12 weeks’ notice, those laid off will not receive any compensation, as permitted by law. The end of the activities of the two factories has been set for April 28.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) deplores Olymel’s decision.
Its spokeswoman, Roxane Larouche, said she hopes that the dozens of food processing companies in the region will take advantage of the sudden availability of this experienced workforce.