SASKATOON -- Nutrien will move forward with plans to temporarily shut down its largest potash mine, despite the Canadian National Railway strike coming to an end.
On Monday, the fertilizer giant announced plans to close its Rocanville mine for two weeks. The company blamed the closure on the CN Rail strike slowing its ability to transport product.
On Tuesday morning, the union representing CN Rail workers announced it reached a tentative agreement with CN Rail.
“The end of the strike is great news for farmers and the broader Canadian economy,” Will Tigley, a spokesperson for Nutrien, said in an emailed statement.
“Despite our best efforts to manage through the disruption, the strike created significant backlog in our supply chain and resulted in lost export capacity that cannot be immediately recovered.”
Tigley said the two-week closure at Rocanville is required to get inventories balanced.
The closure means 550 employees who work at the southeastern Saskatchewan mine will be laid off for two weeks starting Dec. 2.
