Achi news desk-
Olimel will close the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu plant for good this summer, a decision that will affect 135 employees.
The management of the cooperative explained in a press release that the factory, which processed poultry and pork products, was operating at only 40 percent of capacity.
The factory will close its doors for good on July 19.
The announcement was made to the employees on Friday.
Of the 135 workers affected, 30 have the status of a temporary foreign worker, and 23 workers who are not under supervision.
Management said it intends to transfer any workers who want to move to its nearby factories with work needs in Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint-Damas, Ange-Guardian or Boucherville.
The decision is added to the list of closing factories owned by the cooperative in recent years. The closure of its Vallée-Jonction factory in 2023 was one of the most significant as it employed almost 1,000 people.
Olimel has been undergoing restructuring for the past two years, while the pork industry in Quebec is going through a crisis, mainly due to a decline in exports.
However, the cooperative returned to profitability with a surplus of $138.3 million in 2023, compared to a loss of $446.1 million in 2022, according to results revealed in February.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 19, 2024.
